US embassy cable - 02HARARE1218

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Identifier:	02HARARE1218
Wikileaks:	View 02HARARE1218 at Wikileaks.org
Origin:	Embassy Harare
Created:	2002-05-21 13:23:00
Classification:	UNCLASSIFIED
Tags:	ZI PREL PHUM
Redacted:	This cable was not redacted by Wikileaks.

UNCLAS HARARE 001218 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/PD (COX AND ROBERTSON), AF/S (KRAFT AND 
SCHLACHTER), AF/RA (DIPALMA), NSC (FRAZER) 
 
LONDON FOF GURNEY 
 
PARIS FOR NEARY 
 
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ZI, PREL, PHUM 
SUBJECT:  "DAILY NEWS" EDITOR ARRESTED AND RELEASED 
 
 
1.   Geoff Nyarota, editor of the independent daily 
    "The Daily News," was charged on May 20 with publishing 
    "falsehoods," a violation of the Access to Information 
    and Protection of Privacy Act.  The charge is related 
    to the now infamous and disproven "beheaded woman" 
    story, published in the "Daily News" on April 23, 2002. 
 
2.   Nyarota pled not guilty and was released after 
    paying Z$10,000 (about US$182 at the official exchange 
    rate) after about 5 hours in police custody.  He was 
    not mistreated. 
 
3.   This arrest is Nyarota's second in 5 weeks.  On 
    April 15 he was charged with publishing "falsehoods" 
    because of a report in the "Daily News" that there were 
    discrepancies between the results announced by the 
    Registrar General and the actual number of votes cast 
    in the March presidential election. 
 
SULLIVAN