US embassy cable - 01HARARE3197

UNCLAS HARARE 003197 
 
SIPDIS 
 
AF/PD FOR COX, ROBERTSON, AF/S FOR KRAFT, AF/P, 
INR/R/MR, NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ZI, PREL, PHUM 
SUBJECT: PAPER CRIES FOUL AS POLICE ARREST VENDORS 
 
 
1.   IN THE LAST WEEK ZIMBABWE REPUBLIC POLICE HAVE 
   ARRESTED A NUMBER OF NEWSPAPER VENDORS ON WORKING 
   HARARE'S STREETS.  POLICE CLAIM THEY ARE ARRESTING 
   PEOPLE FOR "BLOCKING PUBLIC THOROUGHFARES."  A COMMON 
   SIGHT IN THE MORNING RUSH HOUR, NEWSPAPER VENDORS STAND 
   IN THE MIDDLE OF STREETS NEAR MAJOR INTERSECTIONS, 
   DARTING INTO TRAFFIC TO SELL PAPERS TO PASSING 
   COMMUTERS.  OFFICIALS AT THE PRIVATELY OWNED "DAILY 
   NEWS" TELL US THAT THEIR SALES HAVE BEEN HURT BY THE 
   ARRESTS.  EDITORS AND PUBLISHERS OF PRIVATELY OWNED 
   MEDIA SEE THE CRACKDOWN AS PART OF A GOVERNMENT PLAN TO 
   RESTRICT THE DISTRIBUTION OF NEWS, ALTHOUGH OUR 
   ANECDOTAL INFORMATION INDICATES THAT ALL NEWSPAPER 
   VENDORS, NOT JUST THOSE SELLING PRIVATELY OWNED 
   NEWSPAPERS, WERE AFFECTED.  AS OF OCT. 24, MOST VENDORS 
   APPEAR TO HAVE RETREATED TO THE RELATIVE SAFETY OF 
   CURBS AND TRAFFIC ISLANDS. 
 
2.   IN RESPONSE TO THE POLICE EFFORTS TO GET VENDORS 
   OFF THE STREETS, THE INDEPENDENT DAILY "THE DAILY NEWS" 
   DEDICATED ITS OCTOBER 23 EDITION TO PROTEST AGAINST THE 
   HARASSMENT OF NEWSPAPER VENDORS BY THE POLICE.  UNDER 
   HEADLINE "ZIMBABWE SLOWLY SLIDING INTO AUTHORITARIAN 
   RULE," THE PAPER COMMENTS: 
 
3.   "THE CRACKDOWN ON NEWSPAPER VENDORS BY THE POLICE 
   IS 
   PART OF A STRATEGY TO ENSURE THE GOVERNMENT'S 
   MOUTHPIECES, THE ZIMBABWE BROADCASTING CORPORATION 
   (THE SOLE BROADCASTER IN THE COUNTRY) AND ZIMBABWE 
   NEWSPAPERS (PUBLISHERS OF "THE HERALD," THE SUNDAY 
   MAIL," "THE CHRONICLE," AND THREE OTHER TITLES), ARE 
   THE ONLY ONES ZIMBABWEANS WILL LISTEN TO AND READ. 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
PAGE 03        HARARE  03197  250547Z 
   ONLY THEY WILL BE ALLOWED TO REFLECT THE ZIMBABWEAN 
   REALITY, ACCORDING TO ZANU PF.  EVEN IAN SMITH WAS 
   NOT AS VINDICTIVE AS ZANU PF SOMETIMES SHOWS ITSELF 
   TO BE.  THE SUGGESTION THAT THE POLICE ARE ARRESTING 
   NEWSPAPER VENDORS FOR THEIR OWN SAFETY IS AS BIZARRE 
   AS IT IS ABSURD. . . 
 
   THE PRACTICE ALL OVER THE WORLD IS THAT NEWSPAPER 
   VENDORS SELL THEIR PRODUCTS ON STREET CORNERS. . . 
   THAT VENDORS THREATEN THE SAFETY OF MOTORISTS IS A 
   LIE.  NEWSPAPERS THREATEN THE GOVERNMENT'S DESIRE TO 
   CLING TO POWER.  THE SELLING OF NEWSPAPERS HAS NOT 
   CREATED A CRISIS ON THE STREETS.  NO ACCIDENTS HAVE 
   BEEN REPORTED. . . 
 
   OBVIOUSLY, THE STRATEGY IS NOT JUST TO DISRUPT THE 
   SALES OF NEWSPAPERS.  IT SEEKS TO LIMIT THE 
   INFLUENCE OF NEWSPAPERS IN INFORMING ZIMBABWEANS 
   ABOUT THE UNFOLDING TRAGEDY IN THEIR COUNTRY.  THIS 
   IS A DECLARATION OF A NEWS BLACKOUT.  . ." 
 
SULLIVAN 
 
                       UNCLASSIFIED 
 
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