Zimbabwe Zimbabwe Violation/ issue: Victory Voice of Zimbabwe radio, a subsidiary of the state-controlled Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings (ZBH) was officially launched in the Midlands capital of Gweru on 30 July 2010. Voice of Zimbabwe was established in 2007 and broadcasts on shortwave frequency. Alert Date: August 31, 2010 Person/ institution: Kudakwashe Zvarayi Violation/ issue: Detained Kudakwashe Zvarayi, a Kwekwe-based freelance journalist in the Midlands province was on 27 August 2010 arrested in Bulawayo while taking pictures of the statue of Zimbabwe’s deceased Vice President Joshua Nkomo.Vice President Nkomo’s statue was erected in Bulawayo’s central business district but was still covered awaiting the official unveiling ceremony. Alert Date: March 26, 2010 Person/ institution: Owen Maseko Violation/ issue: Detained, Banned Visual Maseko was arrested on 26 March 2010 initially on charges of violating Section 30 of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act which alludes to insulting or undermining the authority of the president; the charges were since been changed to Section 31 which deals with the publication of false statements prejudicial to the state. September 3, 2010: MISA-Zimbabwe 124 2010 condemned the government ban on any films and Bulawayo-based artist Owen Maseko’s exhibition depicting Gukurahundi disturbances that took place after independence. In a government gazette published on 27 August 2010, Home Affairs Secretary Melusi Matshiya announced that it was an offence in terms of the Censorship and Entertainment Control Act (Cinematography and Publications, Production of Pictures and Statutes) for anyone to show the Gukurahundi material. September 14, 2010: Bulawayo Magistrate Ntombizodwa Mazhandu on 13 September 2010 foiled an attempt by the State to prefer new charges against visual artist Owen Maseko. September 16, 2010: Visual artist, Owen Maseko on 15 September 2010, made an application before Bulawayo Magistrate Ntombizodwa Mazhandu to have his case referred to the Supreme Court for determination on whether the criminalization of his artistic work was not a violation of his right to freedom of thought and expression. September 20, 2010: Bulawayo Magistrate Ntombizondwa Mazhandu on 18 September 2010 granted an application by visual artist Owen Maseko to have his matter referred to the Supreme Court for determination on whether the criminalisation of his work of art is an infringement of his right to freedom of expression. Communiqué Date: September 21, 2010 Person/ institution: Tim Mutero Nyahunzvi Violation/ issue: Other MISA-Zimbabwe Trustee Tim Mutero Nyahunzvi, a veteran journalist and accomplished media trainer, died. Nyahunzvi, 72, died in Harare on 20 September 2010. He had previously been admitted at Parirenyatwa Hospital battling with prostate cancer for which he was supposed to have been operated on. September 25, 2010: Veteran journalist, Tim Nyahunzvi, a trustee of MISAZimbabwe and accomplished media trainer, was buried at Warren Hills Cemetery. Communiqué Date: October 7, 2010 Person/ institution: Politicians Violation/ issue: Legislation Parliamentarians in the country’s major political parties, ZANU PF and the two MDC factions on 4 October, 2010 agreed to amend the draconian law, Public Order and Security Act (POSA) during the Second reading stage of the Amendment Bill. December 10, 2010: The proposed amendments to the draconian Public Order and Security Act (POSA) by MDC-T chief whip, Innocent Gonese sailed through parliament in its entirety after a third reading on 8 December 2010. Communiqué Date: October 8, 2010 Person/ institution: Hopewell Chin’ono Violation/ issue: Victory Zimbabwean journalist Hopewell Chin’ono was nominated for a prestigious Rory Peck award honouring freelance camerawork in news or current affairs. Chin’ono’s film, A violent response, which depicts Zimbabwe’s violent land reform programme, was selected a finalist together with three other films on 29 September 2010 by a panel of news professionals, both executive and freelance. Alert Date: October 11, 2010 Person/ institution: Flata Kavinga, Midlands Observer Violence/ Issue: Detained Flata Kavinga, a journalist with the Kwekwe based Midlands Observer was arrested and detained on 10 October 2010 around 1100 hrs while covering a demonstration by St Bernard Roman Catholic church members against the parish’s priest. October 12, 2010: Flata Kavinga, a journalist with the Midlands Observer in Kwekwe, was on 11 October 2010 released without charges after spending more than 24 hours in custody. October 18, 2010: Flata Kavinga, a journalist with the Midlands Observer in Kwekwe, was on 14 October 2010, cleared of any possible charges by the police after he produced proof of his 2010 125