IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
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ALERT UPDATE - ZIMBABWE

16 June 2003

Charges against editor withdrawn

SOURCE: Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), Windhoek

**Updates IFEX alert of 6 January 2003**

(MISA/IFEX) - On 2 June 2003, the state withdrew charges against Norna Edwards,
editor of "The Mirror", a weekly newspaper in the town of Masvingo, 293
kilometers south of the capital, Harare. Edwards and reporter Kennedy Murwira
were facing charges of contravening Section 80 of the Access to Information and
Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA).

The charges were withdrawn on the grounds that Section 80 of the Act was
declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court (see IFEX alerts of 9 and 8 May,
25 and 6 March, 28 February, 31 and 27 January 2003, 25 November, 31, 23 and 17
October, 20 and 19 June, 28, 21 and 18 March, 18 and 1 February, 31, 25, 21, 15,
11, 9 and 8 January 2002 and others).

BACKGROUND:
On 19 December 2002, Edwards and Murwira published a story claiming that police
officers at Masvingo's Criminal Investigation Department Law and Order Section
wanted to charge four activists from the opposition Movement for Democratic
Change and National Constitutional Assembly with "sabotage", "banditry" and
"insurgency". The newspaper article said the four activists were detained in
prison for two nights and had their homes searched by the police following their
arrest for allegedly masterminding a "stay away" (civil disobedience action).
The paper chronicled the events surrounding the four individuals' arrest and
their alleged ill-treatment by police. The state alleged that the story was
false.

In 2003, the Supreme Court declared Section 80 of the AIPPA unconstitutional in
the case of journalist Lloyd Mudiwa and Geoff Nyarota, former editor-in-chief of
"The Daily News" newspaper.

For further information, contact Zoe Titus or Kaitira Kandjii, Regional
Information Coordinator, MISA, Street Address: 21 Johann Albrecht Street,
Mailing Address; Private Bag 13386 Windhoek, Namibia, tel: +264 61 232975, fax:
+264 61 248016, e-mail: [email protected] or [email protected], Internet:
http://www.misa.org/

The information contained in this alert update is the sole responsibility of
MISA. In citing this material for broadcast or publication, please credit MISA.
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