MEDIA UPDATE: CNN CREW PREVENTED FROM FILMING NEAR

UNCLAS HARARE 000944 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF, AF/S, AF/PD LONDON FOR CHARLES GURNEY PARIS FOR BISA WILLIAMS NSC FOR SENIOR AFRICA DIRECTOR JENDAYI FRAZER UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 02 HARARE 00944 080918Z E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PGOV KPAO KDEM PINR ZI SUBJECT: MEDIA UPDATE: CNN CREW PREVENTED FROM FILMING NEAR SUPREME COURT IN HARARE ¶1. POLICE OFFICERS, ARMY PERSONEL, AND AN UNIDENTIFIED CIVILIAN PREVENTED AMCIT BOB COEN, THE CNN STRINGER IN ZIMBABWE, FROM FILMING NEAR THE SUPREME COURT ON MARCH ¶7. COEN, WHO HAS LIVED IN ZIMBABWE AND WORKED OFF AND ON FOR CNN FOR NEARLY 10 YEARS, WAS ATTEMPTING TO TAPE A STAND-UP PIECE IN FRONT OF THE SUPREME COURT BUILDING. ¶2. ALTHOUGH COEN AND HIS CREW FILMED IN PRECISELY THE SAME LOCATION SEVERAL TIMES DURING THE WEEK OF FEB 26, TODAY THE RULES CHANGED. FIRST A POLICE OFFICER TOLD COEN HE HAD TO LEAVE. WHEN COEN PROTESTED, AN ARMY OFFICER TOLD HIM HE HAD TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE COURT AND TOWARD THE PARLIAMENT. COEN ENGAGED BOTH IN A CONVERSATION, TRYING TO PERSUADE THEM THAT HE HAD FILMED IN THE SAME LOCATION AS RECENTLY AS LAST WEEK. THEN, AN UNIDENTIFIED MAN IN CIVILIAN CLOTHING EMERGED FROM THE PARLIAMENT BUILING, PHYSICALLY PUSHED COEN AND WARNED HIM THAT HE WOULD SMASH COEN'S CAMERA UNLESS HE LEFT IMMEDIATELY. WITHIN SECONDS OF THIS ENCOUNTER, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT AND LEADER OF THE ZIMBABWE LIBERATION WAR VETERANS ASSOCIATION CHENJERAI "HITLER" HUNZVI EMERGED FROM THE PARLIAMENT BUILDING. COEN DECIDED TO DEPART THE SCENE. ¶3. COEN CALLED THE MINISTRY OF INFORMATION TO PROTEST THIS UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 HARARE 00944 080918Z TREATMENT (HE IS A LEGAL RESIDENT OF ZIMBABWE AND HAS THE THUS-FAR APPROPRIATE MEDIA CREDENTIALS),BUT WAS TOLD THAT THE AREA AROUND THE PARLIAMENT AND THE SUPREME COURT IS NOW "RESTRICTED." COEN WAS UNABLE TO GET A CLEAR DEFINITION OF WHAT THAT MEANS, WHEN THE AREA BECAME "RESTRICTED," OR HOW A JOURNALIST GAINS PERMISSION TO WORK WITHIN THE AREA. (NB: WITH THE EXCEPTION OF A CLOSED PARKING LOT IMMEDIATELY WEST OF THE PARLIAMENT AND THE SUPREME COURT, THE REST OF THE AREA IS OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. MAJOR THOROUGHFARES PASS DIRECTLY IN FRONT OF BOTH BUILDINGS AND "AFRICA UNITY SQUARE," A PLEASANT AND POPULAR PUBLIC AREA, IS DIRECTLY ACROSS THE STREET FROM THE PARLIAMENT. IT WOULD BE DIFFICULT TO "RESTRICT" THIS AREA WITHOUT MAJOR DISRUPTION OF PUBLIC LIFE IN DOWNTOWN HARARE.) ¶4. COEN WAS NOT AT ALL HARMED, NOR WAS HIS EQUIPMENT DAMAGED DURING THE ENCOUNTER. HE TOLD EMBOFF THAT HE WAS SIMPLY SADDENED BY THE EXPERIENCE AND ANGRY ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING IN ZIMBABWE. IRVING UNCLASSIFIED >