SECTOR 1 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: 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. Freedom of expression is certainly not practised without fear. There are a raft of laws such as AIPPA, the Public Order and Security Act (POSA), the Official Secrets Act and the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act that have been used to arrest citizens and journalists for the flimsiest of reasons. The threat of arrest and conviction hanging over peoples’ heads is intimidating and causes fear. To a certain extent Zimbabweans have thus been subdued and now tend to act with caution when it comes to exercising their right to freedom of expression. Journalists will take the risk of writing stories that they realise might upset the powers that be and then wait for that threatening phone call or dreaded knock on the door. “At the end of the day after the paper is out, l expect a knock on the door or a white truck without number plates coming to pick me up so l really live in fear. I have got to overcome that fear of course because of my convictions, but to write in Zimbabwe is a fearful experience,” explained one of the panellists. Journalists know that they are treading on dangerous ground if they write about the president, the police, the army, cabinet meetings and certain individuals in positions of power. “l did a story on the military forming power structures in government. l actually got a call from certain members of the military who told me that l had gone too far ... they even gave a date, saying they were going to arrest me on the 3rd of January, so l just sat at home waiting”, recalled another panellist. However in the end they never came. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ZIMBABWE 2012 13