Police fail to bring tortured journalist to court

By Violet Gonda
3 April 2007

The editor of the UK based Zimbabwean newspaper Wilf Mbanga reports that Harare police didn’t bring his chief correspondent Gift Phiri to court, as had been expected, as the onslaught against opponents and journalists continues in Zimbabwe. Phiri’s lawyer, Rangu Nyamurundira, is reported to have spent the day camped outside Harare Central police station waiting for his client. But he didn’t appear and there was no explanation. It is alleged that when he was last seen on Monday Phiri could hardly walk or sit. Mbanga said the journalist was in bad shape and had been severely beaten with baton and iron bars.

Mbanga added: “He was made to sign a warned and cautioned statement in the absence of our lawyers. They know they haven’t a case against him, that is why they didn’t want lawyers to have access to him before he signed the statement.” Although lawyers were allowed some access to Phiri on Monday, Mbanga said they were banned from entering the law and order offices Tuesday.
Phiri was arrested in Harare on Sunday and had originally been accused of involvement in the so-called bomb attacks against police stations in Harare but the charge was later changed to working without accreditation.
He was also charged with “publishing falsehoods” including a report alleging that the CIO had taken over security responsibilities at Harare’s airport and another story that said Robert Mugabe had invoked presidential powers and signed into law a statutory instrument setting up a reserve army of ex-combatants. The Zimbabwean editor said: “They are saying it’s a lie but we know this is a fact.”

The Zimbabwean newspaper also came under heavy fire this week when it published a front-page headline saying Vice President Joyce Mujuru had resigned. Although the Minister of Information Sikhanyiso Ndlovu denied this Mbanga told us that he still stands by the story, until Mujuru herself denies it. He said they carried the story that the vice president had tendered her resignation letter to the President and had been told that Mugabe would get back to her. Mbanga added: “We stand by that. Last year we carried a story that Herbert Murerwa had resigned. It was also denied by other people at the time and eventually he was sacked by Mugabe and then it came out that in fact he had resigned. So our sources on this particular story are impeccable and we stand by it.”

Mbanga also said he received a threatening letter from the CIO last Friday, as the retribution campaign against opponents and journalists continues. He said the letter contained an alleged hit list with his name and Phiri’s. The editor said the two of them were among 27 people targeted for execution by the Central Intelligence Organization. He said this is what Gift Phiri was busy investigating at the time of his arrest.

However Mbanga said he is not taking this letter seriously, adding: “We wanted to find out whether this was an authentic document or it if it was somebody playing silly games because they can also do that. There is a dirty tricks department in the CIO. They could put out this document to make us look silly.”

Meanwhile, Alex Perry, the Time magazine correspondent who was arrested on Saturday for allegedly entering the country without official media accreditation, was released Monday night. It is reported that he has now left Zimbabwe.