MISA also intervened in the case of Shadreck Manyere, a freelance journalist who languished in detention in Zimbabwe from December 2008 until mid-April 2009. MISA mobilised support for the legal fees for Manyere and his family who were hard hit by his loss of income. Within the SADC Journalists under Fire campaign, MISA Tanzania has established and fundraised for a fund for Tanzanian media and journalists facing repression. MISA is investigating the possibility of launching constitutional challenges to selected laws that have been used to harass journalists in Tanzania. MISA Malawi realised the goals of this campaign by creating a platform for communication between law enforcement officers and media practitioners. MISA Malawi conducted a series of workshops for police officers from the country’s four policing regions and the police headquarters. These workshops resulted in a deeper understanding in the police force of basic issues of media freedom, freedom of expression, media ethics and access to information. In closing, journalists and police officers were given an opportunity to identify solutions to areas identified as causes of misunderstanding and tension between the parties. MISA Botswana ran a limited campaign with support from newspapers between June and August 2008. The campaign, dubbed ‘Democracy under Threat’, managed to initiate debate and public participation on freedom of expression issues in Botswana. Local newspapers all pledged full-page, full-colour adverts to MISA. The campaign was also used to advocate against the Media Practitioners Bill. Another series of adverts and posters was produced and published between October and December 2008. The campaign, ‘Attack on Freedom of Expression’, focused specifically on the Media Practitioners Bill. During June 2008, MISA’s Regional Secretariat facilitated a solidarity visit to Zimbabwe by representatives of the MISA regional office, the Africa office of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) based in Senegal, the Southern African Editors’ Forum (SAEF), the Southern African Journalists’ Association (SAJA) and the Network of African Freedom of Expression Organisations (NAFEO) to ascertain the conditions of media freedom and freedom of expression in Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwe, MISA supported the legal case of journalist Frank Chikowore, while in Lesotho support was provided to Thabo Thakalekoala. World Press Freedom Day The annual World Press Freedom Day activities afford MISA an opportunity to publicise the organisation’s work and raise concerns about the ongoing repression of media and free expression rights in the region. The day has become a rallying point for the media and civic society in support of media and free expression issues in the region. MISA Regional Secretariat supported the hosting of World Press Freedom Day events throughout the region. These events took various forms from public debates and demonstrations to radio and television interviews, roundtable discussion forums and advertising campaigns. World Press Freedom Day, May 3, sees the launch of MISA’s annual state of the southern African media report, So This is Democracy? In Angola, MISA was only able to issue a press statement as a result of restrictions on public gatherings. Annual Report 2009 19