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Zim journos bemoan attacks
03/05/2007 14:39 - (SA)
Harare - Zimbabwean media groups on Wednesday bemoaned continued attacks on journalists by security forces and called on the government to scrap its tough media laws.
"The intimidation, harassment and unlawful arrests, detention and torture of journalists going about their professional duties continue unabated," the Media Alliance of Zimbabwe said in a statement to mark World Press Freedom Day.
The body said that two Zimbabwean journalists had recently been assaulted by the security services, including the chief reporter of The Zimbabwean newspaper who is now facing charges of practising journalism without accreditation.
The media alliance is a coalition of media bodies including the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists, Media Monitoring Projects, the Media Institute of Southern Africa and the Zimbabwe National Editors' Forum.
The media bodies also deplored the threat against Bill Saidi, deputy editor of the privately-owned Standard newspaper who received an envelope in January containing a bullet and a message warning him to "watch your step".
Call to scrap Act
They called on President Robert Mugabe's government to scrap the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA).
"As we mark this day, hundreds of journalists have been thrown into the streets following the closure of The Daily News, Daily News on Sunday, The Weekly Times and The Tribune under the AIPPA," the media bodies said.
"We, therefore, call upon the government to honour and respect its pledges to the African Commission on Human and People's Rights and repeal AIPPA, the Public Order and Security Act and the Broadcasting Services Act to facilitate the establishment of more alternative sources of information."
Following the passing of AIPPA, several foreign correspondents have been thrown out of the country and journalists from the independent press arrested and detained.
Under the new law, journalists can only practise after getting accreditation from a government-appointed commission.
Failure to get accredited carries a jail sentence of up to two years, but so far there has been no conviction.
- AFP
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