IFEX - News from the international freedom of expression community
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PRESS RELEASE/UPDATE - ZIMBABWE

8 May 2002

Charges dropped against journalist; another journalist arrested

SOURCE: Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), New York

**New case and update to IFEX alerts of 7, 3 and 2 May 2002. For further
information on the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, see
alerts of 28, 21 and 18 March, 18 and 1 February, 31, 25, 21, 15, 11, 9 and
8 January 2002, 14 and 3 December, 29 October, 2 August, 25 July, 26 June, 9
April and 13 March 2001**

(CPJ/IFEX) - The following is a 7 May 2002 CPJ press release:

Zimbabwe: Charges dropped against journalist

New York, May 7, 2002-A judge today dismissed charges of "abusing
journalistic privileges" and "publishing false information" against Collin
Chiwanza, reporter for the independent Daily News, citing lack of evidence.

Chiwanza appeared in court with fellow Daily News journalist Lloyd Mudiwa
and Andrew Meldrum, a U.S. citizen who is the Zimbabwe correspondent for the
London-based The Guardian newspaper. Mudiwa and Meldrum, who face the same
charges, will remain free until their trial, which is scheduled for May 22.

The three journalists were arrested last week after the Daily News and The
Guardian published articles claiming that supporters of the ruling ZANU-PF
party had beheaded an opposition party supporter. The report was later
discovered to be untrue, and both papers printed retractions.

The journalists were released on May 2 and charged under the draconian
Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, a law passed shortly
after President Robert Mugabe's controversial March 15 re-election.

Another journalist arrested

Police yesterday arrested Pius Wakatama, another Daily News journalist, at
his home on the outskirts of the capital, Harare. Wakatama is charged with
two counts of publishing false information and abusing journalistic
privilege under the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

The charges stem from an article Wakatama wrote for the May 4 edition of the
Daily News in which he criticized the eviction of a white farming family
from their property and mentioned the story about the beheading of the
opposition supporter.

Wakatama received a "warn and caution" statement before being released.

Wakatama is the eighth journalist to be arrested under the Access to
Information and Protection of Privacy Act since it was passed.

Local sources also confirmed today that the opposition Movement for
Democratic Change (MDC) is calling for an investigation of Stephen Ndolvu,
editor of the state-owned Chronicle newspaper, whom the party accuses of
publishing false information under the Access to Information and Protection
of Privacy Act.

The MDC, which vigorously criticized the new law before Parliament passed
it, was apparently angered by a Chronicle article alleging that the party
was planning to destroy government buildings and install their leader in a
coup against Mugabe's government.

For more information about press conditions in Zimbabwe, visit www.cpj.org.
CPJ is a New York-based, independent, nonprofit organization that works to
safeguard press freedom worldwide.

For further information, contact Yves Sorokobi (ext. 112) or Adam Posluns
(ext. 107) at CPJ, 330 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10001, U.S.A., tel: +1 212
465 1004, fax: +1 212 465 9568, e-mail: [email protected], [email protected],
Internet: http://www.cpj.org/

The information contained in this press release/update is the sole
responsibility of CPJ. In citing this material for broadcast or publication,
please credit CPJ.
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