Zimbabwe -- Private media barred from meeting human rights group

THE government, in a bid to whitewash its appalling human rights record, did not invite the independent media to speak to the African Commission and People’s Rights delegation, in the country this week to probe allegations of human rights abuses.

Chikoto of The Sunday Mail, Pikirayi Deketeke of The Herald and Tafataona Mahoso from the Harare Polytechnic’s mass communications school, lined up to praise the government before the commission at the Harare International Conference Centre.

No one from the independent media was invited by the government secretariat, resulting in Andy Moyse of the Media Monitoring Project in Zimbabwe (MMPZ) having to run around to ensure the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) and the MMPZ were given a hearing.

This effort was to ensure they gave documentary evidence of government human rights abuses, media persecution and intimidation through repressive laws such as the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy and the Public Order and Security Acts.

By last night it was not immediately clear whether the MMPZ or MISA had met the commission.

The Zimbabwe Union of Journalists’ president, Matthew Takaona, who works for The Sunday Mail, was by late Wednesday afternoon scheduled to appear before the commission as well.

The Independent Journalists’ Association was not invited. George Charamba, the Permanent Secretary in the Department of Information and Publicity in the President’s Office, said on Wednesday night his office was not responsible for the invitations, which were being handled by the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs.

“This was David Mangota’s baby, not ours, so he should be able to tell you who was invited and who was not,” said Charamba.

Mangota, the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Justice, was not available for comment on Wednesday night.

The commission was by Wednesday night expected to produce a damning report on the government’s human rights record after the production of massive documented evidence of abuses.

The commission raised its concern with the government over violence during the land invasions, vicious attacks against judges and lawyers, lawlessness, electoral fraud and the harassment of journalists.

President Mugabe tried to air-brush the issues when he met the commission by dwelling on colonial iniquities, the liberation struggle and land expropriation.

The commission’s visit follows two years of political turmoil in the country as Zanu PF sought to consolidate its stranglehold on power.

The commission, led by Jainaba Johm of Gambia, includes prominent South African human rights official Barney Pityana.

Typical, and probably will result in downplaying the situation.

A commission of inquiry goes into a country to find out if there is a pattern of officially sanctioned rights abuses.

Then they allow the government to set the witness list.

The same thing is happening with feeding programs.

The government provokes a famine then it makes up the list of people needing famine relief and insists that all grain coming into the country be through its own Grain Marketing Board.

To no one's surprise, the relief list consists of government supporters and no oppostition supporters.

Africa Wins Again.

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