Zimbabwe Makes First Journalist Arrests Under Cybersecurity Law: Zimbabwe JournalismIsNotACrime FreePress
Bulawayo — Zimbabwe's press freedom credentials suffered further criticism with the arrest of two journalists from a privately-owned newspaper charged with transmitting"false data messages."
What is significant, however, about the latest arrests of journalists is that while the crackdown on press freedom has for years been driven by the ruling Zanu-PF party against its critics, the two journalists, together with the paper's attorney, were held for reporting on a private business enterprise believed to be run by politically connected individuals.
"Any limitation to this right should qualify under the three-pronged test, which requires legality, proportionality and necessity. It is also our position that criminal sanctions on false news are disproportionate and not necessary," the statement added. "It represents a serious threat to freedom of the media and expression as well as access to information of public interest as provided under respective sections of the Zimbabwean constitution," Majoni told IPS.
In May, on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day, Reporters Without Borders noted that Zimbabwe had declined further on the Press Freedom Index, from 130 in 2021 to 137 in 2022. "These provisions are patently unconstitutional and are likely to be struck down by the constitutional court," Saki told IPS.
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