US embassy cable - 02HARARE1258

UNCLAS HARARE 001258 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/PD (COX AND ROBERTSON), AF/S (KRAFT AND 
SCHLACHTER) 
 
NSC FOR JANDAYI FRAZER 
 
LONDON FOR GURNEY 
 
PARIS FOR NEARY 
 
NAIROBI FOR PFLAUMER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, PREL, ZI 
SUBJECT: "STANDARD" EDITOR SETS NEW ARREST RECORD 
 
 
1.   BORNWELL CHAKAODZA, EDITOR OF THE INDEPENDENT WEEKLY 
    "STANDARD" WAS ARRESTED AGAIN ON MAY 23, SETTING A NEW 
    ZIMBABWEAN RECORD FOR THE NUMBER OF TIMES AN EDITOR HAS 
    BEEN ARRESTED IN ONE WEEK.  CHAKAODZA WAS ALSO ARRESTED ON 
    MAY 22 AND MAY 16.  WHILE OTHER EDITORS MAY BOAST A HIGHER 
    NUMBER OF LIFETIME ARRESTS (BY OUR RECKONING "DAILY NEWS" 
    EDITOR GEOFF NYAROTA LEADS THAT RACE WITH 6 ARRESTS IN THE 
    LAST TWO YEARS), NO ONE COMES CLOSE TO CHAKAODZA'S RECORD- 
    SETTING THREE TIMES IN ONE WEEK. 
 
2.   THE MAY 23 ARREST OF CHAKAODZA AND ONE OF HIS 
    REPORTERS, FARAI MUTSAKA, WAS FOR "PUBLISHING FALSEHOODS," 
    A VIOLATION OF THE ACCESS TO INFORMATION AND PROTECTION OF 
    PRIVACY ACT (AIPPA).  THE MAY 23 ARREST WAS SPARKED BY AN 
    ARTICLE IN THE MAY 12 EDITION OF THE "STANDARD" THAT 
    PREDICTED STAFFING CHANGES AT THE GOVERNMENT-OWNED 
    "ZIMPAPERS" PUBLISHING CONMPANY.  THE ARREST FOLLOWED THE 
    NOW-FAMILIAR NORM: POLICE ARRIVE AT THE "STANDARD'S" 
    OFFICES, TAKE THE JOURNALISTS INTO CUSTODY AND DELIVER THEM 
    TO POLICE CENTRAL HQ IN HARARE.  AT THE POLICE STATION, THE 
    JOURNALISTS SPEND TWO OR THREE HOURS ANSWERING A POLICE 
    INSPECTOR'S QUESTIONS ABOUT DIFFERENT STORIES IN VARIOUS 
    EDITIONS OF THE NEWSPAPER.  EVENTUALLY, THE POLICE CHARGE 
    THE JOURNALISTS FOR A SPECIFIC STORY, COLLECT THE BAIL, AND 
    LET THEM GO.  THUS FAR, THE JOURNALISTS HAVE NOT BEEN 
    MISTREATED. 
 
3.   THE HARASSMENT OF THE "STANDARD" OVER THE LAST WEEK 
    HAS BEEN EXPENSIVE IN TERMS OF TIME LOST IN THE NEWSROOM, 
    LEGAL FEES AND BAIL.  THE ARRESTS, HOWEVER, SEEM TO HAVE 
    STRENGTHENED THE RESOLVE OF CHAKAODZA, HIS REPORTERS AND 
    THEIR PUBLISHER TO CONTINUE THEIR WORK. 
 
SULLIVAN