News / National
ZLHR joins press in celebrating Press Freedom Day
04 May 2016 at 06:51hrs | Views
ZIMBABWE Lawyers For Human Rights (ZLHR) has said it joins all supporters of media freedom in commemorating World Press Freedom Day on 3 May 2016 at a time when media practitioners and ordinary citizens face acute dangers including arbitrary arrest, prosecution, intimidation and being abducted and disappeared.
In a statement the ZLHR said proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1993, World Press Freedom Day, which in 2016 is being commemorated under the theme; "Access to Information and Fundamental Freedoms - This Is Your Right!," is an opportunity to celebrate the fundamental principles of media freedom; assess the state of press freedom; defend the media from attacks on their independence; and pay tribute to journalists who continue to bear up with the litany of obstacles they confront in the line of duty.
"It is pertinent to recognise that a key measure of a country's levels of freedom, democracy and just rule of law is the manner in which a government treats media practitioners and how free they are allowed to do their professional work. In addition, freedom of expression is central to an open and democratic state in which people access diverse information to help them participate and make choices about governance, social and economic issues," ZLHR said.
ZLHR said it appreciates that the new Constitution broadens freedom of expression, and of the media and access to information.
"However, while media freedom protection has been specifically included in the Constitution, the reality on the ground is at odds with this, due to the continued insistence on registration of media houses and media practitioners and excessive restrictions on what they are able to cover," reads the statement.
"It is saddening to note that Zimbabwe's media freedom scorecard and the situation for journalists has worsened with the major blemish for the government being the imprisonment of Patrick Chitongo, a Chiredzi based publisher and journalist, who is wallowing prison."
The ZLHR said Chitongo, who has been detained for several months now, solely for his journalistic work must be released immediately and unconditionally as his imprisonment is an inherently disproportionate restriction on the right to freedom of expression.
"The government's bad scores on media freedom, including constraints on the ability of journalists to do their work and the threats issued by state actors such as Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister Christopher Mushohwe calls into question its professed commitment to media freedom, and freedom of expression and access to information," reads the statement.
"From an operating environment littered with hostile media laws to a myriad of stumbling blocks, Zimbabwe possesses a media minefield and apparently the same perpetrators show up time and again."
"Zimbabwe is not a safe place for journalists, bloggers and other citizens to peacefully express themselves as can be confirmed by the pattern of intimidation, harassment, arrests, imprisonment, charges and prosecution of media practitioners and ordinary citizens which suggests that they are aimed at persecuting and silencing the government's perceived opponents and critics," ZLHR added.
ZLHR said in recent months, Zimbabwean courts have also imposed gag orders on coverage of some cases, a practice which has routinely been abused to remove from public scrutiny cases where "powerful" individuals and officials have stood accused of human rights violations or where authorities intend to conceal information from members of the public.
"Of concern too is the authorities' crackdown on online communication and the systematic monitoring and surveillance of social media platforms including Facebook and WhatsApp, which is being used to monitor dissent as demonstrated by the arrest and prosecution of villagers recently in Mashonaland Central and Manicaland provinces on flimsy charges of criminal nuisance and insulting or undermining authority of the President. ZLHR is perturbed that citizens continue to be targeted despite the fact that the country's apex court, the Constitutional Court, has made various pronouncements in some cases before it about application of this notorious provision," reads the statement.
"Freedom after expression also remains elusive, with self-censorship still pervasive due to the fear of being prosecuted for expressing critical views of individuals, institutions and state policies and practices."
"We have seen an appetite by Zimbabwean authorities to interfere with the operations and the practice of journalism through attempting to impose new and illegal layers of accreditation of journalists apart from the Zimbabwe Media Commission as happened in Parliament early this year, where some overzealous security agents intended to subject journalists to rigorous scrutiny including asking them to submit police clearance letters," added ZLHR.
The organisation said in April, authorities directed journalists to be "cleared" by the Zimbabwe Republic Police as a condition to secure entry and cover a meeting convened by veterans of the country's liberation war.
"Such restrictions and controls betrays the government as being so obsessed with control and licensing. In Zimbabwe today, anyone who challenges the authorities' official narrative, criticises the government or exposes human rights violations is at risk of being tossed into police cells and being abducted and disappeared as what happened to Itai Dzamara in March 2015 while other human rights campaigners among them Paul Chizuze and Patrick Nabanyama remain unaccounted for after going missing for several years now," said ZLHR.
"It is high time that the government appreciates the need to respect and uphold constitutional provisions which provides the framework of protections, obligations, rights and fundamental freedoms accorded all persons in Zimbabwe. To ZLHR, these form the bedrock of democracy and act as all important bullwark against the government of the day and other state and non-state actors misusing their power against people."
it further stated that in the digital age, media freedom is confronted by growing challenges of arbitrarily punishing cyber-expression and intrusions on digital privacy, even though the Constitution provides for the right to privacy under section 57.
"Of concern to ZLHR is the recent clampdown on freelance journalists and their news portals as the case with the Media Centre and the five journalists, who have been interrogated by police detectives over an alleged treason case," reads the statement.
"Snooping into citizens' privacy impact on those who express themselves online and also on those who receive information online and this curbs access to information as well as the range of information and expression on digital portals. Such interference has the effect of constraining the ability of a society to make informed choices about democracy and development."
"In a year, in which we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration on an independent and pluralistic African press, ZLHR reiterates that the battle for media plurality, diversity of information, legislative reform, and accountability must therefore be a fight taken on, not only by the media itself and media rights organisations, but also by the broader civil society and the general public as a whole. A closed society where archaic views and practices continue to prevail impacts us all, and for this reason ZLHR renews and reiterates its commitment to this struggle until victory is achieved," Added the organisation.
In a statement the ZLHR said proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly in December 1993, World Press Freedom Day, which in 2016 is being commemorated under the theme; "Access to Information and Fundamental Freedoms - This Is Your Right!," is an opportunity to celebrate the fundamental principles of media freedom; assess the state of press freedom; defend the media from attacks on their independence; and pay tribute to journalists who continue to bear up with the litany of obstacles they confront in the line of duty.
"It is pertinent to recognise that a key measure of a country's levels of freedom, democracy and just rule of law is the manner in which a government treats media practitioners and how free they are allowed to do their professional work. In addition, freedom of expression is central to an open and democratic state in which people access diverse information to help them participate and make choices about governance, social and economic issues," ZLHR said.
ZLHR said it appreciates that the new Constitution broadens freedom of expression, and of the media and access to information.
"However, while media freedom protection has been specifically included in the Constitution, the reality on the ground is at odds with this, due to the continued insistence on registration of media houses and media practitioners and excessive restrictions on what they are able to cover," reads the statement.
"It is saddening to note that Zimbabwe's media freedom scorecard and the situation for journalists has worsened with the major blemish for the government being the imprisonment of Patrick Chitongo, a Chiredzi based publisher and journalist, who is wallowing prison."
The ZLHR said Chitongo, who has been detained for several months now, solely for his journalistic work must be released immediately and unconditionally as his imprisonment is an inherently disproportionate restriction on the right to freedom of expression.
"The government's bad scores on media freedom, including constraints on the ability of journalists to do their work and the threats issued by state actors such as Information, Media and Broadcasting Services Minister Christopher Mushohwe calls into question its professed commitment to media freedom, and freedom of expression and access to information," reads the statement.
"From an operating environment littered with hostile media laws to a myriad of stumbling blocks, Zimbabwe possesses a media minefield and apparently the same perpetrators show up time and again."
"Zimbabwe is not a safe place for journalists, bloggers and other citizens to peacefully express themselves as can be confirmed by the pattern of intimidation, harassment, arrests, imprisonment, charges and prosecution of media practitioners and ordinary citizens which suggests that they are aimed at persecuting and silencing the government's perceived opponents and critics," ZLHR added.
ZLHR said in recent months, Zimbabwean courts have also imposed gag orders on coverage of some cases, a practice which has routinely been abused to remove from public scrutiny cases where "powerful" individuals and officials have stood accused of human rights violations or where authorities intend to conceal information from members of the public.
"Of concern too is the authorities' crackdown on online communication and the systematic monitoring and surveillance of social media platforms including Facebook and WhatsApp, which is being used to monitor dissent as demonstrated by the arrest and prosecution of villagers recently in Mashonaland Central and Manicaland provinces on flimsy charges of criminal nuisance and insulting or undermining authority of the President. ZLHR is perturbed that citizens continue to be targeted despite the fact that the country's apex court, the Constitutional Court, has made various pronouncements in some cases before it about application of this notorious provision," reads the statement.
"Freedom after expression also remains elusive, with self-censorship still pervasive due to the fear of being prosecuted for expressing critical views of individuals, institutions and state policies and practices."
"We have seen an appetite by Zimbabwean authorities to interfere with the operations and the practice of journalism through attempting to impose new and illegal layers of accreditation of journalists apart from the Zimbabwe Media Commission as happened in Parliament early this year, where some overzealous security agents intended to subject journalists to rigorous scrutiny including asking them to submit police clearance letters," added ZLHR.
The organisation said in April, authorities directed journalists to be "cleared" by the Zimbabwe Republic Police as a condition to secure entry and cover a meeting convened by veterans of the country's liberation war.
"Such restrictions and controls betrays the government as being so obsessed with control and licensing. In Zimbabwe today, anyone who challenges the authorities' official narrative, criticises the government or exposes human rights violations is at risk of being tossed into police cells and being abducted and disappeared as what happened to Itai Dzamara in March 2015 while other human rights campaigners among them Paul Chizuze and Patrick Nabanyama remain unaccounted for after going missing for several years now," said ZLHR.
"It is high time that the government appreciates the need to respect and uphold constitutional provisions which provides the framework of protections, obligations, rights and fundamental freedoms accorded all persons in Zimbabwe. To ZLHR, these form the bedrock of democracy and act as all important bullwark against the government of the day and other state and non-state actors misusing their power against people."
it further stated that in the digital age, media freedom is confronted by growing challenges of arbitrarily punishing cyber-expression and intrusions on digital privacy, even though the Constitution provides for the right to privacy under section 57.
"Of concern to ZLHR is the recent clampdown on freelance journalists and their news portals as the case with the Media Centre and the five journalists, who have been interrogated by police detectives over an alleged treason case," reads the statement.
"Snooping into citizens' privacy impact on those who express themselves online and also on those who receive information online and this curbs access to information as well as the range of information and expression on digital portals. Such interference has the effect of constraining the ability of a society to make informed choices about democracy and development."
"In a year, in which we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Windhoek Declaration on an independent and pluralistic African press, ZLHR reiterates that the battle for media plurality, diversity of information, legislative reform, and accountability must therefore be a fight taken on, not only by the media itself and media rights organisations, but also by the broader civil society and the general public as a whole. A closed society where archaic views and practices continue to prevail impacts us all, and for this reason ZLHR renews and reiterates its commitment to this struggle until victory is achieved," Added the organisation.
Source - Byo24News
