from MARCUS MUSHONGA in Harare, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe Bureau
HARARE, (CAJ News) – WORLD Press Freedom Day has passed amid a crackdown by Zimbabwean authorities on media.
It was marked on Saturday.
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) expressed solidarity with the press and condemned the ill- treatment harassment, intimidation, abuse, arrest, imprisonment, prosecution and persecution of journalist doing their work locally
“In Zimbabwe, media freedom, the very foundation of democracy, is at risk as journalists are targeted both on and offline for doing their vital work. Retrogressive state authorities have chosen to use repressive laws to stem legitimate debate and critique of government policies,” it stated.
ZLHR regretted that intimidatory actions and criminal charges had been used to silence the media, where it had exposed alleged corruption by and of public figures, in addition to other matters, which relate to public figures and werein the public interest.
ZLHR lamented that World Press Freedom Day was marked at a time when journalist Blessed Mhlanga was in pre-trial detention for more than 60 days since he was arrested in February while freelance journalist Itai Dzamara, who was abducted and disappeared in March 2015, remained unaccounted for.
“On World Press Freedom day, ZLHR reiterates its long-standing call for the repeal of repressive media laws and an end to the harassment, arrest, prosecution and persecution of journalists.”
– CAJ News