• ALERT Date: May 14, 2008 Person: Henry Muradzikwa Violation/issue: Other Henry Muradzikwa, the chief executive officer of the state-controlled Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC), was fired on May 14 for reportedly defying ministerial orders to deny the opposition political party, the Movement of Democratic Change (MDC), favourable coverage in the run-up to the March 29, 2008 elections. Muradzikwa was fired for defying orders by Minister of Information and Publicity Dr Sikhanyiso Ndlovu and the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, George Charamba, to deny positive radio and television publicity to the MDC. He was also reportedly accused of denying President Robert Mugabe favourable coverage. • ALERT Date: May 17, 2008 Person: Sydney Saize Violation/issue: Beaten Freelance journalist Sydney Saize sustained a swollen lip after he was assaulted by unknown assailants in the eastern border town of Mutare on May 16, 2008. The assailants accused him of being a sell-out. Saize told MISA Zimbabwe that the incident occurred around 20h30 when he was on his way home. He said he initially did not suspect anything when four men who were travelling in Nissan double-cab vehicle pulled over and offered him what was supposed to have been an innocent lift home. The vehicle, however, stopped some short distance later. “The four men then proceeded to assault me with booted feet and fists and accused me of ‘selling’ the country,” said Saize. This comes hard on the heels of the assault of Mathew Takaona, the president of the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ). Takaona was assaulted together with his brother by assailants in military fatigues at a shopping complex in Harare’s dormitory town of Chitungwiza. MISA Zimbabwe condemned these wanton attacks on journalists at a time when the country is witnessing unprecedented politically motivated violence in the aftermath of the March 29 elections and the interim period to the presidential election run-off set for June 27. • ALERT Date: May 20, 2008 Person/institutions: Media Violation/issue: Other MISA Zimbabwe complained to the African Commission for Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) over delays in finalising the admissibility of the Capital Radio communication, which is currently before the commission. The communication on Capital Radio – filed jointly by MISA Zimbabwe, Article 19, the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa, as well as two proprietors of Capital Radio, Gerry Jackson and Michael Auret Jnr. – challenges various sections of the Broadcasting Services Act (BSA) as being inconsistent with the African Charter on Human Rights. Capital Radio, an aspiring commercial radio station in Zimbabwe was shut down violently by the Zimbabwe government and had its equipment confiscated by the police in 2000. The station had begun operating after successfully challenging the broadcast monopoly of the state owned, Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) in 2000. • ALERT Date: May 23, 2008 Person/institutions: The Zimbabwean on Sunday Violation/issue: Destroyed/beaten Unknown assailants on May 23 waylaid and set ablaze a truck-load of 60,000 copies of The Zimbabwean on Sunday newspaper and assaulted its driver, Christmas Ramabulana; and a So This Is Democracy? 2008 -139- Media Institute of Southern Africa