Govt takes radio station board members to court

The government has begun negotiating with the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) to replace the controversial government-appointed Media and Information Commission (MIC), but media related arrests continued over the weekend. "The minister of information has asked the ZUJ to embark on a process to draft a code of ethics and come up with a voluntary media council to oversee and regulate media in the country," Foster Dongozi, Secretary General of the ZUJ, told IRIN. He said the government was looking to amend the strict Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), under which the MIC was created to vet and licence media and journalists, after the new information minister indicated that media laws needed revision. But, Dongozi warned, with "a government that negotiates with us during the day but hounds our comrades at night, at every step of the negotiation we will need to be very vigilant". He pointed to the ongoing case of the independent news production company, Voice of the People (VOP), whose entire board of trustees were arrested and charged with broadcasting without a licence, reportedly as a result of pressure from the National Joint Operational Command, which includes the country's Central Intelligence Organisation. The board members, including ZUJ President Mathew Takaona, were granted bail on Tuesday. According to Arnold Tsunga, human rights lawyer and also a member of the VOP board, "the saddest thing was that they had arrested four of my private staff and held them for four days - they were held as ransom until I showed up at the police station". VOP has been unable to resume operations since police confiscated its equipment and files, and arrested director John Masuku in a December 2005 raid. After being accused of violating the Broadcasting Services Act, which prohibits the possession or use of radio transmission equipment without a licence, Masuku appeared in court on 6 January and is expected to reappear on 30 March, when a trial date will be set. He could face up to two years in prison if found guilty. VOP contends that it does not broadcast from Zimbabwe and is not in breach of any of its laws. The agency gathers news in Zimbabwe, which is then broadcast into the country via the Radio Netherlands Madagascar relay station.