MEDIA REPORT EDITOR CHARGED UNDER POSA; HARARE

UNCLAS HARARE 001373 SIPDIS DEPT FOR AF/PDPA FOR DALTON, MITCHELL AND SIMS NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER LONDON FOR GURNEY PARIS FOR NEARY NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PHUM KPAO KMDR ZI SUBJECT: MEDIA REPORT EDITOR CHARGED UNDER POSA; HARARE ¶1. Nqobile Nyathi, Editor of the independent daily "The Daily News," was arrested, charged and released on June 26 under the controversial Public Order and Security Act (POSA) for allegedly publishing adverts insulting Robert Mugabe. The ostensibly illicit adverts were placed in the newspaper by the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC). They show a cartoon character of Robert Mugabe being chased by a crowd led by a cartoon character of MDC leader Morgan Tsvangirai. Part of the wording of the advert reads: "Do you recognize him: Thief! Thief! Thief!" Under Section 16 of POSA it is an offense to "publicly and intentionally make any false statement about or concerning the President. . . ." The charge carries a fine of Z$100 000 or five years imprisonment or both. Nyathi becomes the third editor to be charged under POSA in June. ¶2. On June 11 this year Francis Mdlongwa, the Editor-in-Chief of the Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe (ANZ),publishers of "The Daily News", was also charged for publishing a mutinous advert inserted by a group of Zimbabweans who said "they were carrying out a mock trial of Mugabe," when he edited the independent weekly "The Financial Gazette" in 2002. Bill Said, Editor of the ANZ independent weekly "The Daily News on Sunday," was also charged on June 24 for allegedly publishing a false story last year when he was assistant editor of "The Daily News." SULLIVAN