ACROSS the world, commemoration of World Press Freedom Day, is essential to highlight a basic fact – that all of humanity’s freedom depends on media freedom.
Freedom of the media is the foundation of democracy and justice and media practitioners are often described as the “lifeblood” of a healthy democracy, who play a crucial role in ensuring transparency, accountability, and informed public discourse.
On World Press Freedom Day, Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) stands with and salutes journalists, who use their aptitudes and profession to promote fundamental rights and liberties, and have expressed themselves despite the heavy cost to their freedoms.
Media practitioners act as a vital check on power, holding those in authority accountable for their commissions and omissions while ensuring that the public is informed about critical issues.
And yet, this is not a given as journalists put their lives at risk in defence of such values. Through the bravery of media practitioners, the world sees what it needs to see.
ZLHR condemns the ill- treatment harassment, intimidation, abuse, arrest, imprisonment, prosecution and persecution of journalist doing their work.
In Zimbabwe, media freedom, the very foundation of democracy is at risk as journalists are targeted both on and offline for doing their vital work. Retrogressive state authorities have chosen to use repressive laws to stem legitimate debate and critique of government policies. Intimidatory actions and criminal charges have been used to silence the media, where it has exposed alleged corruption by and of public figures, in addition to other matters, which relate to public figures and are clearly in the public interest.
It is lamentable that, World Press Freedom Day is being marked at a time when prominent journalist Blessed Mhlanga is in pre-trial detention for more than 60 days since he was arrested in February while freelance journalist Itai Dzamara, who was abducted and disappeared in March 2015 remains unaccounted.
On World Press Freedom day, ZLHR reiterates its long-standing call for the repeal of repressive media laws and an end to the harassment, arrest, prosecution and persecution of journalists.
ENDS
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights
Kodzero/Amalungelo House
No. 103 Sam Nujoma Street, Harare, Zimbabwe
Phone: (+263 8677005347, +263 242 764085/705370/708118
Email: info@zlhr.org
www.zlhr.org.zw
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