Zimbabwe Govt Urged To Promote Safety For Journalists On International Day To End Impunity

By Wallace Mawire

On the  International  Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) has implored  government to combat the pervasive culture of impunity for crimes against media practitioners and to promote a safe and enabling environment for journalists to execute their professional duties independently and without undue interference.

Observed annually on 2 November, International Day To End Impunity For Crimes against Journalists is meant to sensitise and promote constructive dialogue on the level of impunity for crimes against journalists, which remains extremely high across the world with journalists being killed in the line of duty in Palestine, Israel and also on the Israel – Lebanon border.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 31 journalists and media workers were killed as of 31 October 2023, since the war began early in October, with several reports of journalists being injured, detained or reported missing

ZLHR says Journalists play a critical role in reporting facts for consumption by the generality of the society and impunity for attacks and crimes against media practitioners has a damaging impact on the work of journalists as this limits dissemination of critical information, public awareness and constructive debate.

They added that when perpetrators of crimes against media practitioners enjoy impunity and do not account for their actions, this undermines the right of citizens to hold those in positions of authority to account and this affects the free flow of information.

This year, the theme for International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists, is “Violence against journalists, the integrity of elections and the role of public leadership” places the challenge on governments to do their utmost to prevent violence against journalists and set the basis for safe reporting and commit to investigate any violations against media practitioners.

In Zimbabwe, ZLHR says that it is  profoundly worried that perpetrators of crimes against journalists, continue to act with impunity with no consequences for their misdemeanors. Journalists are often arrested and assaulted in the course of their duty and in some cases they are forced to delete pictures or videos taken during incidents or events and crimes against journalists increase during electoral periods.

They say that this impunity, which is a failure to bring perpetrators of human rights violations to justice constitutes a denial of victims’ right to justice and redress.

They add that those who commit crimes against journalists must be apprehended, prosecuted and duly punished in order to provide victims with effective remedies and for them to take other necessary measures to prevent a recurrence of violations and such impunity.

To end impunity for crimes against journalists, ZLHR has implored the Zimbabwe government to minimise and eradicate impunity for crimes against journalists and make crimes against journalists punishable offences in Zimbabwe, promote and ensure a safe and enabling working environment for journalists to discharge their professional duties, investigate, prosecute and bring to justice all perpetrators of crimes against journalists and ensure accountability and appropriate remedies to victims, guarantee protection of the rights of journalists from arbitrary arrest and detention in accordance with the recommendations made by the African Commission for Human and Peoples Rights in August 2020 in the Resolution on the Human Rights Situation in the Republic of Zimbabwe – ACHPR/Res. 443 (LXVI) 2020.

Also a MISA Zimbabwe Statement on International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists by Golden Maunganidze,Chairperson MISA Zimbabwe titled: Reduction in crimes against journalist should spur Zimbabwe to adopt UN Plan of Action, MISA Zimbabwe says that the drastic reduction in media freedom violations during Zimbabwe’s 2023 election cycle is a significant development which comes at a time when the world commemorates the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists (IDEI) on 2 November 2023.

They say that the positive development should spur the country to adopt and localise the United Nations Plan of Action (UNPA) on the Safety of Journalists into the country’s legislative frameworks.

Manuganidze adds that this will demonstrate the country’s commitment to stemming crimes against journalists, considering that this year’s IDEI commemorations focus on violence against journalists, the integrity of elections, and the role of public leadership.

He says that ending or reducing crimes (media violations) is at the core of guaranteeing the exercise of freedom of expression and the free flow of information for informed decisions and choices.

According to Maunganidze, in Zimbabwe’s case, the foundation for the role of public leadership in ending crimes against journalists was amply demonstrated in the pre-election and post-2023 election period through the implementation of the Police-Media Action Plan of December 2017.

The Action Plan was the culmination of a meeting between representatives of media organisations led by MISA Zimbabwe and the Zimbabwe Republic Police in Harare on 20 December 2017.

The meeting developed a raft of action plans to secure a safe and conducive working environment for journalists.

In Zimbabwe, crimes against journalists and media workers, as happens in other parts of the world, tend to increase during election cycles and involve law enforcement agents and political parties.

Maunganidze says that these violations involve the unlawful arrests, assaults, and harassment of journalists by state and non-state actors, such as supporters of political parties.

In line with the Police-Media Action Plan, MISA Zimbabwe, in conjunction with key stakeholders, took various steps and interventions ahead of Zimbabwe’s 2023 harmonised elections.

Nationwide engagement meetings were held with the police, media and political parties while the government reiterated its commitment to ensuring a safe media operating environment during the elections.

The interventions are said to have resulted in a vastly improved safety and security environment for the country’s journalists and media workers.

He said that following these meetings and the proclamation of the 2023 Zimbabwean elections on 31 May 2023 and the holding of the elections on 23 August 2023 (a period usually characterised by increased media freedom violations), only three (3) violations involving political actors were recorded.

He added that no media violations involving the police or other security arms of the state were recorded during this period.

He however,said that  on this day, they  call upon the police to investigate all reported cases involving the assault or harassment of journalists.

“If this downward spiral in media freedom violations continues to subsist, Zimbabwe is poised for further improvement in the World Press Freedom Index rankings as the elections were held in a drastically improved media operating environment,’Maunganidze said.

He says that in that regard, MISA Zimbabwe is of the firm view that the adoption and localisation of the United Nations Plan of Action (UNPA) on the Safety of Journalists as part of concrete efforts to end impunity of crimes against journalists, will be the clincher that will set Zimbabwe on the progressive path to the operations of a free and unhindered media.