HARASSMENT OF JOURNALISTS CONTINUES - THREE NEW

UNCLAS HARARE 002490 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/PD (SANDERS, ROBERTSON, COX),AF/S (DELISI, KRAFT),AF (BELLAMY) AF/P, INR/R/MR NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER LONDON FOR GURNEY PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: KPAO PREL PHUM ZI SUBJECT: HARASSMENT OF JOURNALISTS CONTINUES - THREE NEW ARRESTS UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 HARARE 02490 230915Z ¶1. ON AUGUST 21 AND 22 ZIMBABWE REPUBLIC POLICE (ZRP) PICKED UP, QUESTIONED AND LAID CHARGES AGAINST THREE JOURNALISTS IN HARARE. ¶2. ON AUGUST 21, TWO JOURNALISTS FROM THE WEEKLY "THE MIRROR" WERE QUESTIONED BY POLICE ABOUT A REPORT IN THE AUGUST 17 EDITION OF THEIR NEWSPAPER ALLEGING POLICE COMPLICITY IN LOOTING IN THE CHINOHYI AREA. NEWS EDITOR WALLACE CHUMA AND REPORTER CONSTANTINE CHIMAKURE WERE THEN CHARGED WITH "PUBLISHING SUBVERSIVE STATEMENTS," EMPLOYING THE SAME RHODESIA-ERA LAW USED AGAINST THE FOUR "DAILY NEWS" JOURNALISTS ON AUGUST 14. POLICE MISTREATED NEITHER JOURNALIST. ¶3. ON AUGUST 22 POLICE DETAINED MARK CHAVUNDUKA, EDITOR OF THE INDEPENDENT WEEKLY "THE STANDARD," ON CHARGES OF "CRIMINAL DEFAMATION" OVER A STORY HIS PAPER PUBLISHED ON AUGUST 19. CHAVUNDUKA WAS HELD AND QUESTIONED FOR ABOUT 90 MINUTES. HE WAS NOT MISTREATED. CHAVUNDUKA AND "STANDARD" SENIOR REPORTER RAY CHOTO WERE ARRESTED AND TORTURED IN JANUARY 1999 AFTER THEY PUBLISHED A STORY ALLEGING A MUTINY AMONG ZIMBABWEAN ARMED FORCES IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO. ¶4. THE STORY THAT PROMPTED THE AUGUST 22 CHARGES AGAINST CHAVUNDUKA, REPRINTED FROM THE "SUNDAY TIMES" OF LONDON, REPORTED THAT PRESIDENT MUGABE IS HAUNTED BY THE GHOST OF THE LATE NATIONAL LIBERATION WAR HERO JOSIAH TONGOGARA. UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 HARARE 02490 230915Z ACCORDING TO CHAVUNDUKA, HE WAS CHARGED BECAUSE THE STORY DEFAMED PRESIDENT MUGABE AND HIS FAMILY. ROTH UNCLASSIFIED >