State of the media in Southern Africa - 2003 CC Minister of Information and Publicity Professor Jonathan Moyo Office of The President Munhumutapa Building P O Box 777, Causeway, Harare Phone: +263 4 703 891-4/706 894, 707 091/7, 707 098 Fax: +263 4 708 820, +263 4 79 04 02 Press Statement November 7, 2003 Statement by Zimbabwean civil society and media organisations ‘Let the People Speak’ Effective Civil Society Lobbying for Zimbabwe Workshop Harare October 30-31, 2003 A t a landmark solidarity meeting in Harare on 30-31 October, Zimbabwean, African and international human rights organizations pledged to alert Africa and the SADC region to the full extent of the Zimbabwe Government’s continued gross human rights abuses and its relentless persecution of the media. The group agreed to launch a vigorous and coordinated campaign to petition fellow Africans and the international community about the oppression of the Zimbabwean people. The meeting agreed the time had come for African governments to recognise th reality of tyranny in Zimbabwe and to move away from the diplomatic paralysis over the worsening human rights crisis in the country. The immediate focus of this campaign will be the upcoming meeting of the African Commission in The Gambia and the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Abuja, Nigeria. Among those joining the Zimbabwean media and human rights groups were representatives from organizations such as Journalistes en Danger (JED), Media Rights Agenda, West African Media Foundation, COSATU, Amnesty International, Article XIX, the International Bar Association, Zimbabwe Watch and the International Media Support group. Issued by: Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe 15 Duthie Avenue, Alexandra Park, Harare, Tel: 00 (263 4) 703702 E-mail: monitors@mmpz.org.zw Website: http://www.mmpz.org.zw/ Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA)-Zimbabwe 84 McChlery Drive, Eastlea, Harare Tel and fax: 00 (263 4) 776165 Misa@mweb.co.zw Misazim@mweb.co.zw So This Is Democracy? 2003 148 Media Institute of Southern Africa