State of the media in Southern Africa - 2004 • ALERT Date: July 1, 2004 Persons/Institutions: Media in Zimbabwe Violation(s): Legislation (threatening) Zimbabwe’s Parliament has passed a tough new Bill that allows police to hold suspects for three weeks before they are brought to court. The Criminal Procedure and Evidence Amendment Bill was passed late on July 1, 2004, despite stiff resistance from the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), said the party’s shadow justice minister David Coltart. Under the Bill, suspects arrested on suspicion of corruption or violating security laws would be detained for up to 21 days instead of the 48 hours previously allowed to schedule a court appearance. The Bill will now be presented to President Robert Mugabe who is expected to sign it into law. • ALERT Date: August 23, 2004 Persons/Institutions: Tawanda Mudimu Violation(s): Beaten On August 23 2004, “Herald” newspaper photographer Tawanda Mudimu was harassed by police officers while taking pictures of a prominent gospel musician who arrived at the Harare Magistrates Court for initial remand hearing. The policemen who were escorting gospel singer Charles Charamba into the court buildings, damaged Mudimu’s camera worth $10 million (approximately US$1 886) as they tried to prevent him from taking pictures of the musician. According to the “Herald”, a report was made at the Harare Magistrates police post. • ALERT Date: September 16, 2004 Persons/Institutions: Bornwell Chakaodza Violation(s): Threatened On September 16 2004, the Media and Information Commission (MIC) issued an October 1 2004 deadline to editor of the privately-owned “Standard” weekly newspaper, Bornwell Chakaodza, to submit a negative of the photograph of President Robert Mugabe taken at the Harare Agricultural Show in August this year. On August 29 2004, the “Standard” published a front page photograph of President Mugabe hitching up his trousers under a headline titled “Smartening Up”. MIC chairman Dr Tafataona Mahoso, claimed the Commission had received “numerous telephone complaints” about the photograph. In a final letter of demand for information requested to assist with the investigations dated September 28, 2004, Mahoso warns Chakaodza and the publishers of the paper, that failure to comply by October 1, 2004, would compel the MIC to proceed against them in terms of Section 50 subsection (2) and (3) and 52 of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) as well as Section 12 (b) of the Commissions of Enquiry Act. • ALERT Date: September 23, 2004 Persons/Institutions: Vincent Kahiya, Raphael Khumalo, Augustine Mukaro Violation(s): Detained On September 23 2004, Editor Vincent Kahiya, General Manager Raphael Khumalo, and reporter Augustine Mukaro of the privately owned “Zimbabwe Independent”, were arrested by the police on allegations of abusing journalistic privilege under the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA). The arrest of the three follows the publication of a story linked to the treason trial of Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the opposition Movement for So This Is Democracy? 2004 150 Media Institute of Southern Africa