PRESS STATEMENT: ISSUED May 14 2003

Zimbabwe: CREDO condemns continued and systematic harassment of Zimbabwean and foreign journalists – calls on African leaders to be consistent in upholding democracy

CREDO for Freedom of Expression and Associated Rights has condemned the continued and systematic harassment of both Zimbabwean and foreign journalists by the Zimbabwean government.

In a press statement, the organisations Coordinator Rotimi Sankore stated “the recent attempts by the Zimbabwean immigration authorities to arrest the Zimbabwe correspondent of the UK Guardian Andrew Meldrum is the latest development in a systematic campaign to intimidate the media into not reporting the harsh realities of present day Zimbabwe. The attempted arrests are clearly aimed at facilitating the illegal deportation of Mr Meldrum who has lived in Zimbabwe for 22 years and was acquitted last year by a Zimbabwean court of allegations he reported false information about Zimbabwe”

Last week, the Zimbabwean authorities also revoked the visitors visas of two visiting senior representatives of the Guardian Shaun Williams, director of corporate affairs, and Siobhain Butterworth, head of legal affairs, on the spurious claim that they had not sought prior permission from the Home Minister before entering Zimbabwe to discuss a ‘sensitive issue’ and that they had filled in their visa applications incorrectly.

Mr Sankore stressed that “ while it is naïve to pretend that the political situation in Zimbabwe is not complicated by the colonial history of Zimbabwe and the occupation of a disproportionate percentage of land by minority ‘white’ settlers, the Mugabe led government is absolutely wrong to rationalise the crack down on press freedom and freedom of expression as “a fight against neo-colonialism”. Andrew Meldrum and other journalists foreign or local are perfectly within their rights to truthfully and accurately report events in Zimbabwe.”

In a reference to the recent visit to Zimbabwe by Presidents Thabo Mbeki, Olusegun Obasanjo and Bakili Muluzi of South Africa, Nigeria and Malawi respectively CREDO also called on African leaders to be consistent in upholding democratic principles in their own countries as this is the only way they can have the moral credibility to intervene to resolve political problems in other African countries.

Elaborating on this, Mr Sankore added “It would not have escaped the attention of President Mugabe that President Obasanjo of Nigeria for instance has himself only recently emerged from elections that were condemned by credible observers and all opposition parties as being rife with irregularities and malpractices. This does not place him in the best position to preach to President Mugabe on the virtues of democracy”

Nevertheless, Mr Sankore urged African leaders “to urgently step-up the dialogue with the Zimbabwean government” and to “secure specific guarantees of an equitable resolution to the land problem, press freedom, freedom of expression and the rights to association, assembly and political participation.”

ENDS

For further information, contact our International Office:

Centre for Research Education & Development Of
- [CREDO]- Freedom of Expression & Associated Rights.

73-75 Newington Causeway
London SE1 6BD, UK

Tel: + 44 20 77875501
Fax:+ 44 20 77875502

E-mail: Media – [email protected] , General – [email protected]

CREDO is an International human rights organisation based in Senegal and London and focusing on work in Africa. CREDO believes that freedom of expression and other strongly associated rights, are major platforms on which all civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights stand. CREDO further believes that “without distinction of any kind such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status” everyone is entitled to these rights as outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural rights, The African Charter on Peoples and Human Rights and other similar documents.

While freedom of expression remains an inalienable right, it is often overlooked that it is in reality, not a stand alone right but is also a ‘gateway’ right to these other strongly associated rights, which are no less important and demand equal attention. These rights include the rights to opinion, assembly, association and so forth. An attack on any of these rights, is more often than not an indicator that other associated rights are not fully assured.

Collectively these rights are infinitely more important than they are individually. Their intertwined nature means that they are best defended and promoted collectively and not in isolation from each other.

While maintaining an international perspective, CREDO’s work focuses on themes in Africa related to: freedom of expression, media freedom, rights/access to information and information resources; freedom of opinion, association, assembly and related rights; and anti-discrimination issues e.g. discrimination based on gender, race, ethnicity, political persuasion etc.