MEDIA REPORT MEDIA BILL; HARARE

UNCLAS HARARE 000293 SIPDIS AF/PD FOR COX, ROBERTSON, SCHLACHTER, AF/S FOR KRAFT, AF/P, INR/R/MR, NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ZI PREL PHUM SUBJECT: MEDIA REPORT MEDIA BILL; HARARE ¶1. THE CONTROVERSIAL ACCESS TO INFORMATION AND PROTECTION OF PRIVACY BILL IS EXPECTED TO BE RE-INTRODUCED IN PARLIAMENT TODAY (JANUARY 31),FOLLOWING CONSULTATIONS BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PARLIAMENTARY LEGAL COMMITTEE WHO RECOMMENDED ON TUESDAY THAT THE BILL BE WITHDRAWN BECAUSE IT CONTAINED MANY CLAUSES THAT WERE UNCONSTITUTIONAL. ADDRESSING PARLIAMENT ON JANUARY 30, JUSTICE, LEGAL AND PARLIAMENTARY AFFAIRS MINISTER PATRICK CHINAMASA TOLD LEGISLATORS THAT BOTH PARTIES HAD AGREED ON THE AMENDMENTS TO BE MADE TO THE BILL. THEY ALSO AGREED THAT THE AMENDMENTS BE INCORPORATED INTO A NEW CONSOLIDATED TEXT. THE TWO SIDES REACHED A DEADLOCK ON TUESDAY (JANUARY 29) WHEN HARVARD TRAINED LAWYER AND CHAIRMAN OF THE PARLIAMENTARY LEGAL COMMITTEE DR. EDDISON ZVOBGO TABLED AN ADVERSE REPORT ON THE BILL DECLARING 21 SECTIONS OF THE PROPOSED LEGISLATION UNCONSTITUTIONAL. ¶2. MEANWHILE, HARARE POLICE YESTERDAY ARRESTED THREE JOURNALISTS - CORNELIUS NDUNA OF THE INDEPENDENT WEEKLY "THE STANDARD," AND FOSTER DONGOZI AND RHODA MASHAVAVE OF THE INDEPENDENT DAILY "THE DAILY NEWS" - AFTER A PEACEFUL MARCH TO PARLIAMENT BY INDEPENDENT MEDIA JOURNALISTS TO PROTEST AGAINST THE ACCESS TO INFORMATION AND PROTECTION OF PRIVACY BILL. THE THREE, WHO WERE AMONG 60 INDEPENDENT AND FOREIGN JOURNALISTS WHO PICKETED OUTSIDE PARLIAMENT BUILDING, WERE RELEASED YESTERDAY EVENING AND ASKED TO REPORT THIS AFTERNOON TO THE LAW AND ORDER SECTION AT THE HARARE CENTRAL POLICE STATION. THEY WILL BE CHARGED UNDER THE NEW PUBLIC ORDER AND SECURITY ACT. ¶3. THE JOURNALISTS, WHO DENOUNCED THE BILL AND ITS SPONSOR PROFESSOR JONATHAN MOYO, WORE BLUE GAGS OVER THEIR UNCLASSIFIED PAGE 03 HARARE 00293 012333Z MOUTHS TO SYMBOLIZE THE EFFECT OF THE PROPOSED LAW ON THE MEDIA AND CARRIED PLACARDS VOWING TO IGNORE THE PROVISIONS OF THE BILL WHEN MADE INTO LAW. SOME OF THE PLACARDS READ: "DO NOT VIOLATE OUR FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION," AND "ROCKET SCIENCE MUST NOT TRIUMPH OVER JOURNALISM." THE ZIMBABWE CHAPTER OF THE MEDIA INSTITUTE OF SOUTHERN AFRICA (MISA), THE ZIMBABWE UNION OF JOURNALISTS (ZUJ) AND THE FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS' ASSOCIATION ORGANIZED THE PEACEFUL DEMONSTRATION. SULLIVAN UNCLASSIFIED >