Journalist charged with public violence

25 April 2008

Freelance journalist Frank Chikowore was on April 21, 2008 finally charged with public violence, appearing in court almost a week after his arrest together with six other accused persons among them the opposition MDC's director of information and publicity, Luke Tamborinyoka.

Chikowore was remanded in custody to April 22, 2008 when Magistrate Olivia Mariga is expected to make a decision on whether to grant the accused bail. The allegations of public violence relate to the torching of a long-distance bus in Harare's suburb of Warren Park that was travelling from Botswana on April 15, 2008 between three to four in the morning.

According to his lawyer Harrison Nkomo, engaged by MISA-Zimbabwe under its Media Defence Fund facility, the police initially wanted to charge him with contravening the repressive Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) for practicing journalism without accreditation.

However, Chikowore is duly accredited with the state-controlled Media and Information Commission (MIC) and was similarly accredited by the Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC) to cover the elections held on March 29, 2008.

Nkomo said the police had also contemplated charging him with malicious injury to property as well as attempted murder before settling for the charge of public violence.

According to the Herald Newspaper of Zimbabwe, the public (or political) violence charge encompassed "suspected MDC (opposition party) activists who were arrested on various allegations including setting ablaze a Mandaza Bus Service coach last week, barricading roads, stoning vehicles and circulating inciting messages". Frank Chikowore was on freelance work reporting the elections when he was picked up with various other people.

The Herald reported on April 22 that "according to official police records, CID Law and Order Section has dealt with 33 cases of violence, most of them stemming from the failed stayaway called for by MDC-T last week".
So far, some people had appeared in court with one of the cases having already been finalised. Eleven people had since paid admission of guilt fines while 13 were still under investigation.

MISA strongly condemns the selective treatment being handed out to the journalist because it is clear that people on similar charges have been released on a fine. The MISA lawyers are in the process of preparing an urgent bail application for the journalist to be delivered August 23 (today). MISA maintains that the present charges brought against the journalist are bailable and that Mr Chikowore should be dealt with according to the provisions of the law.

Background.

According to his wife, Chikowore left their home in Harare's suburb of Warren Park early in the morning on 15 April 2008 on his way to 'work' only to return later in the company of seven police officers, four of whom were in riot gear and three in plainclothes. The police then reportedly searched the house and confiscated a laptop, recorder and camera.