SECTOR 1

is concern enough because until such time that they are repealed, they remain
in force.”
In early November 2015 at an Editors’ meeting in Harare, it was resolved that
those present would petition government to align media-related laws with media
freedom provisions in the constitution.

Scores:
Individual scores:
1

Country does not meet indicator

2

Country meets only a few aspects of indicator

3

Country meets some aspects of indicator

4

Country meets most aspects of indicator

5

Country meets all aspects of the indicator

Average score:

3.0 (2012 = 2.3; 2010 = 1.6; 2008 = 1.8;
2006 = 1.3)

1.2 The right to freedom of expression is practised and
citizens, including journalists, are asserting their rights
without fear.
Citizens and journalists practice their right to freedom of expression to a certain
extent, and with a high level of fear because of the legislative environment, and
due to recent events. A few examples include the recent disappearance of political
activist, Itai Dzamara, the arrest of journalists (including the 2014 arrests of News
Day Editor Nevanji Madanhire reporter Moses Matenga and Zimbabwe Mail
photojournalist Angela Jimu) and the 2011 arrest and detention of two Media
Monitoring Project of Zimbabwe (MMPZ) advocacy officers Fadzai December and
Molly Chimhanda, which struck fear amongst journalists for themselves and their
families.1 “So journalists aren’t free to assert their rights.”
Additionally, threats issued against the media “by the President’s wife Grace
Mugabe and some government ministers are real because the people making
them are the policy makers”. In addition, there are pieces of legislation that
criminalise criticising the government, thereby curbing citizens and journalists’
ability to freely express themselves.

1 The charges against the MMPZ staff were dropped in 2015.

AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ZIMBABWE 2015

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Select target paragraph3