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MDC condemns arrest of Zimind scribes
Movement
for Democratic Change
May
07, 2013
The MDC condemns
in the strongest terms the arrest this morning of two Zimbabwe Independent
journalists, Editor Dumisani Muleya and Chief Reporter Owen Gagare.
The two are
being charged with contravening the Criminal
Law Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act for allegedly
publishing falsehoods in connection to a story published two weeks
ago claiming the MDC was in negotiations with the military and police
service chiefs.
They are being
held at the Harare Central Police Station’s CID Law and Order
Section where they were charged but as other progressive organisations,
the MDC demands their immediate release.
As the MDC,
we express our displeasure on the arrests, moreso as they come barely
four days after Zimbabwe and rest of the world commemorated the
World Press Freedom Day on 03 May.
Their arrest
comes in less than a week after another journalist, Blessing Mhlanga
of the Newsday was arrested and charged with criminal defamation
charges while another journalist with the Zimbabwe Independent,
Dingilizwe Ntuli was threatened in the State media by the police
spokesperson, Charity Charamba.
The threats
were made against Ntuli after he wrote an article last week saying
that Police Commissioner General, Augustine Chihuri was threatening
journalists.
Today’s
arrest of Muleya and Gagare and other threats against the media
personnel and human rights defenders are a travesty to justice and
worse when the draft
on the new Constitution is being tabled before Parliament
today.
As a nation,
the police and the State cannot continue using draconian laws to
suppress the will of the people and their fundamental human rights
and freedoms.
What is more
worrying is that the arrests of the journalists are only targeted
at the independent media while those from the State media have limitless
opportunities to do as they wish by going on a campaign of writing
entire falsehoods against elected officials who are not from Zanu-PF.
We hope the
arrests will be a thing of the past soon when the new Constitution
becomes the Supreme law of the country as it safeguards the media
and other fundamental rights. This development seriously confirms
the MDC’s demand for security sector reforms. The MDC will
continue to push for a free media environment in the pursuit of
a free and democratic Zimbabwe.
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