H.E. Robert G. Mugabe
Executive President
Office of the Executive President
P.O. Box 7700, Causeway
Harare
Republic of Zimbabwe
Fax: (011.263.4) 70-05-72
Your Excellency:
Once again, our non-partisan organization, which has defended press freedom throughout the world for 65 years, must protest the callous efforts of your government to obstruct the rights of journalists. It is apparent to organizations like ours, which are dedicated to defending free expression, that despite international criticism of the long record of media harassment, you have not acted to correct the situation.
The recent proposed amendment to your 2002 press law, already restrictive in its control of information, stands as one glaring example. The law, with its outright ban on journalists who have not obtained a 12-month accreditation from your government was offensive enough. Now, it appears that your courts will have new powers to stifle the media by allowing them to impose punishment of up to two years in prison for “breaches.”
Not unexpectedly, the amendment follows the government’s Media and Information Commission’s recent order closing of the weekly, Tribune newspaper, on the grounds that it failed to meet administrative requirements to notify changes in its name, format and frequency of publication. The closure coincides with your prosecution of the Daily News for allegedly failing to follow accreditation procedures. Moreover, according to the Johannesburg Business Day, the judge who ruled in favor of the Daily News has apparently been forced to leave Zimbabwe.
As a member of the United Nations Organization, you certainly must realize that the repressive atmosphere in your country violates the world’s freedom of expression standards as expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Journalists reporting the news, who are freed from Zimbabwe’s restrictive environment, can make a valuable contribution to the spirit of your people and to the economic growth of your country.
Respectfully yours,
John Langone Norman A. Schorr
Freedom of the Press Committee
cc: Simbi Veke Mubako
Ambassador of Zimbabwe to the U.S.A.
Embassy of the Republic of Zimbabwe
1608 New Hampshire Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20009
Fax: (202) 483-9326
Ambassador Boniface Guwa Chidyausiku
Permanent Representative
Permanent Mission of the Republic of Zimbabwe
to the United Nations
128 East 56th Street
New York, NY 10022
Fax: (212) 308-6705