harassment of journalists Archives » SANEF

harassment of journalists

August 3 2020

STATEMENT ON THE HARASSMENT AND ARREST OF JOURNALISTS IN ZIMBABWE

3 August 2020

The African Editors Forum (TAEF) and the Southern African Editors Forum (SAEF) are greatly concerned about the continued harassment and arrest of journalists in Zimbabwe by the government. TAEF and SAEF call on the Zimbabwean government to immediately release Hopewell Chin’ono who is in remand prison and was denied bail on charges of “inciting public violence” in terms of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act.

Chin’ono was arrested on 20 July 2020 after police agents raided his home in Harare without a search warrant as required by the law. Again, on 30 July 2020, police raided and ransacked the home of online publisher ZimLive editor, Mduduzi Mathuthu in Bulawayo looking for “subversive material” supposedly linked to yesterday’s (31 July 2020) planned protests.

We wish to remind the Zimbabwean government that Journalism is not crime and therefore demand that all charges against Mduduzi and Chin’ono be unconditionally dropped immediately to allow them to continue reporting without fear. We are deeply concerned about the deliberate abuse of journalists by Zimbabwean security forces which of late has resulted in a sharp increase of their arrest and unlawful detention, especially since the start of the COVID-19 lockdown.

The Zimbabwean government should allow journalists to do their work freely without any hindrance and we demand a guarantee for the safety of all media personnel in the country. We would like to urge the Zimbabwean government to engage media within the country to find a common understanding with a view to end the harassment and arrests of journalists. This should not be happening in a democracy which Zimbabwe has declared to Africa and the rest of the world that it is. TAEF and SAEF remain committed as well as ready to assist both the Zimbabwean government and media in finding a lasting solution with a view to end the harassment and arrest of journalists.

For more information:
Jovial Rantao
Chairperson: TAEF
[email protected]
Willie Mponda
Chairperson: SAEF
[email protected]

Socials

Twitter: @SAEditorsForum

Email: [email protected]

Website: SANEF

April 3 2020

SAFETY OF JOURNALISTS

News

Harassment of Journalists — Cape Town Metro Police officer barring a journalist from covering the eviction of refugees the Central Methodist Mission on Greenmarket Square. Pic: Unknown

The safety of journalists is one of SANEF’s top priorities and is a key component of our Covid-19 programme.

We have gathered a number of important resources that we hope will be of assistance to journalists during this stressful period. Please see below:

The South African Depression and Anxiety Group: http://www.sadag.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11&Itemid=114
Lifeline: https://www.lifelinejhb.org.za/index.ashx
Committee to Protect Journalists: https://cpj.org/2018/09/psychological-safety.php
Dart Center for Journalism and Trauma: https://dartcenter.org/
Poynter: Journalism and Trauma: https://www.poynter.org/shop/self-directed-course/journalism-and-trauma/
Front Line Defenders: Resources for Wellbeing & Stress Management: https://www.frontlinedefenders.org/en/resources-wellbeing-stress-management
Sexual violence and harassment – International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF): Recommendations: https://www.iwmf.org/
CPJ: The silencing crime: Sexual violence and journalists: https://cpj.org/reports/2011/06/silencing-crime-sexual-violence-journalists.php

As an organisation, we have taken up safety issues through various channels. We have fought the matter through the courts and we have also sought other ways to protect journalists.

Safety and elections

An important component of our elections training in 2019 was dedicated to the safety of journalists.

Access the CPJ South Africa Election Safety for Journalists Toolkit

https://cpj.org/2019/02/south-africa-election-journalist-safety-kit.php

Safety of journalists and political leaders

SANEF held an important workshop on the matter of safety online in September 2019 with political parties. We invited world-renowned, Indian journalist and Washington Post columnist, Rana Ayyub to be the guest speaker. Also, in attendance was Lawrence Mute, Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa. Independent media law expert, Okyerebea Ampofo-Anti, delivered an input on a possible way forward including crafting a draft MOU to ensure improved terms of engagement.

Access the speaking notes from the 2019 SANEF workshop (create link)

Further, in 2019 we took South Africa’s third-biggest political party the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) to court to stop online harassment of journalists.

Learn more about the South African National Editors’ Forum v Economic Freedom Fighters litigation https://sanef.org.za/litigation/sanef-v-eff/