Zimbabwe POLICE on Friday arrested two private media journalists Frank Chikowore and Samuel Takawira at a hospital in Harare for trying to interview three hospitalised MDC Alliance activists.
Chikore and Takawira appeared before Mbare magistrate Manase Musiiwa, facing a count of contravening Section 11 (b) of Statutory Instrument of 2020, Public Health (Covid-19 Prevention, Containment and Treatment
Chikowore works for Voice of America’s Studio 7 while Takawira works for online website, 263Chat will spend at least four nights in remand prison after they were denied bail yesterday.
They are being accused of violating Covid-19 regulations through their visit to the hospital to do the interviews.
Through lawyer, Paida Saurombe, they argued that journalism is not a crime since they are accredited journalists.
Media rights lobby, MISA Harare chairperson, Garikai Chaunza condemned the police actions also arguing journalism is not a crime.
“On behalf of MISA, we condemn the arrest of the two journalists and we see it as a direct attack on journalists who are accredited to do their work. We fear this is a repetition of the past where journalists were viewed as enemies of the state. As far as we are concerned they did not commit any crime and their arrest was unlawful,” Chaunza said.
