State of the media in Southern Africa - 2003 Letter of Appeal November 14, 2003 TOPIC: Call for public demonstration against human rights and media freedom violations in Zimbabwe T he Regional Secretariat of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) and its Namibian chapter (MISA Namibia) supports the call of the coalition of Human Rights organisations to join in a public demonstration against the ongoing human rights violations in Zimbabwe. MISA reiterates this urgent call to action to all media workers in Namibia to use this opportunity to show solidarity with their counterparts in Zimbabwe. The coalition, led by the Namibia Society for Human Rights (NSHR), intends to use the opportunity of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe’s current visit to Namibia, to express its condemnation of that government’s ongoing practice of violating the basic human rights of its citizens. Furthermore the protest action, according to the coalition, is also intended to question the Namibian government’s deafening silence on the issue. MISA, a regional organisation committed to the promotion of media freedom and freedom of expression, will therefore use this opportunity to reiterate its objection against the enactment of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), the Public Order and Security Act (POSA) which makes it virtually impossible for free and independent media to operate in Zimbabwe and for Zimbabweans to freely associate and express themselves. MISA therefore calls on all media practitioners to join it, along with the Human Rights coalition, students, workers and concerned Namibians, to: • protest the silence of the Namibian government on the ongoing reports of human rights violations committed by Zimbabwean Government; • sign a petition against the ongoing human rights and media freedom abuses and violations in Zimbabwe, for presentation to the Zimbabwean High Commission, Namibia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the SADC Secretariat Botswana, the SADC Parliamentary Forum and the Nepad Secretariat in South Africa. MISA further intends to raise the concerns of Namibians at the upcoming People’s Forum which runs alongside the Commonwealth Head of Government meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, in December. ■ DETAILS OF PUBLIC PROTEST: Date: Saturday, November 15, 2003 Venue: Zoo Park, Independence Avenue Time: 10h00 A ll protestors are kindly requested to bring placards displaying bold messages of solidarity with the citizens of Zimbabwe. The protest action will be accompanied by a press conference, at which members of the Human Rights coalition and MISA will make public statements on the ongoing human rights and media freedom violations in Zimbabwe. A press conference is scheduled at the same venue for 11h00 and all media organisations are kindly invited to attend. Enquiries: MISA Namibia Carmen Cupido Cell: 081 272 9764 So This Is Democracy? 2003 MISA Regional Secretariat Zoé Titus Cell: 081 128 3919 135 Media Institute of Southern Africa