1. Home
  2. Southern Africa
  3. Zimbabwe

Rights group warns on journalists

The World Association of Newspapers said on Tuesday it had written to President Robert Mugabe expressing its concern at alleged threats against three Zimbabwean journalists. Bengt Braun, president of the Paris-based association, which claims to represent more than 17,000 publications in 93 countries, described the threats against the three, Ray Choto, Basildon Peta and Ibbo Mandaza, as serious. “We respectfully remind you that it is the duty of the state to ensure that journalists are able to carry out their professional duties without fear of attack and intimidation,” the letter said. “We urge you to do your utmost to ensure that Mr. Choto, Mr. Peta and Mr. Mandaza are able to continue carrying out their professional duties in safety.” The letter was copied to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Mary Robinson, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Koichiro Matsuura, Director-General, of UNESCO.

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

Share this article

Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian

Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

Join