O’Brien Rwafa, Jacob Phiri and Freedom Moyo, employees of state-controlled Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings (ZBH), were suspended from their positions for ten days. The three men were accused of leaking information about a government directive stipulating that state media should refrain from coverage of government ministers from the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T), led by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangiri. (Misa)
Zimbabwe’s ministry of Media, Information and Publicity has ordered the state-controlled Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) and public newspapers to stop reporting on ministers from the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T), until Morgan Tsvangirai and his party reverse its decision to withdraw contact with ZANU PF, led by President Robert Mugabe.
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On 20 October, two Al-Jazeera journalists were assaulted and briefly detained in Zimbabwe while covering a cabinet meeting which Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai’s had boycotted.
Cameraman Austin Gundani and his reporter colleague Haru Mutasa were physically assaulted and detained at a small police post located at Munhumutapa Building and before being transferred to Harare Central Police Station. They were released three hours later.
In past years Zimbabwe has imposed harsh media laws that saw local newspapers shut down and journalists and editors jailed. The new government has promised to relax the laws and invite the international media back in. (RSF)
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In Zimbabwe a freelance photojournalist and 15 members of the Movement for Democratic Change – Tsvangirai, have filed a lawsuit with the High Court demanding compensation in the amount of US $19.2 million ($1.2 million each) following their illegal detainments and alleged torture. Read more here