Media Institute of Southern Africa fighting to get journalist out of prison

Press freedom may be an unknown word in Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA-Zimbabwe) has to take a soft approach to help.

Press freedom may be an unknown word in Zimbabwe. The Zimbabwe Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA-Zimbabwe) has to take a soft approach to help. The defense representing Zimbabwean freelance journalist, Patrick Chitongo, sentenced to a year’s imprisonment for publishing an unregistered newspaper will on July 1, 2015 file an application for bail pending appeal against both conviction and sentence.

Hearing into the bail application will be held before Chiredzi magistrate Tafadzwa Mhlanga. MISA-Zimbabwe Legal Officer Jacqueline Chikakano will attend the application proceedings to determine the form of support that the organisation can render to the journalist and his family.

On the 26th of June, as MISA reported, Chitongo was sentenced to an effective eight months imprisonment following suspension of four months of the sentence on condition that he does not commit a similar offence in the next five years.

Chitongo was convicted for contravening Section 72 (1) of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), which states:

No person shall carry on or operate a mass media service without a valid registration certificate.

Background

Chitongo was jointly charged with Tafadzwa Mhlanga, Givemore Kadzwida, and Courage Bandera. The four stood accused of collaborating to publish a newspaper that was not registered with the Zimbabwe Media Commission (ZMC), with a view to selling it.

They proceeded to publish three issues of the unregistered newspaper titled, the Southern Mirror.

However, Chitongo’s co-accused defendants were subsequently acquitted after they were established to be students who were not involved in the publication of the newspaper.

In another development in Zimbabwe two policemen from Masvingo Central Police Station’s Law and Order Section on 29 June, 2015 searched Wezhira Community Radio Initiative’s offices to determine whether the initiative is in custody of any broadcasting equipment.

The policemen also inquired as to where the equipment in place had been purchased. In addition, they instructed the community radio initiative to present an inventory of all the equipment in their custody to the police station on 30 June, 2015.

Background

The visit by the police follows the questioning of the initiatives’ producer Wilson Maposa on 15 June 2015 over suspicion that the initiative owned broadcasting equipment and had started broadcasting.

According to the Broadcasting Services Act (BSA), it is illegal to broadcast without a licence issued by the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe (BAZ).

About the author

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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