Zimbabwean Journalist in Custody
Davison Maruziva Remains in Government Custody, Howard Burditt Freed
Journalists Davison Maruziva and Howard Burditt were arrested Monday by the Zimbabwean government. Burditt was released Thursday while Maruziva remains jailed.
Newspaper editor Davison Maruziva and Reuters photojournalist Howard Burditt were arrested on May 5 in a Zimbabwean post-election media crackdown. Burditt was accused of illegally using a satellite phone to transmit images, while Maruziva was charged with writing "false statements prejudicial to the state," as reported by IFJ.org.
Burditt was released on May 8 while Maruziva remains in custody.
Maruziva wrote a short column insulting President Robert Mugabe's leadership and praising that of the Movement for Democratic Change, his electoral opponent.
Maruziva accused Mugabe of "betraying the nation's independence and coercing voters through violence and vote rigging, leaving the opposition "bludgeoned and brutalised,"" as reported by uk.reuters.com.
Mugabe has been in political and military power since 1987 and has been accredited with the downfall of Zimbabwe's economy and aid programs, as well as for the genocide of thousands of innocent civilians.
Reuters photojournalist Burditt, who was apprehended by officials for allegedly using a satellite phone to send photos, was released on bail Thursday after being held captive for three days.
For many years, journalists have been targeted by fierce and furious governments and oppositions in an effort to maintain privacy and censorship. Daniel Pearl, Alan Johnston and more recently Barry Bearak were all kidnapped and held captive by parties of power in order to maintain what those parties believed was control.
Gabriel Baglo, the African director of the International Federation of Journalists, believes it's time for the Zimbabwean government to stop targeting the media. "[We are] raged that the media continue to be the scapegoats of the Zimbabwe government in the country's crisis. We call on the authorities to release Maruziva immediately and to drop all the baseless charges against him," he said, as reported by IFJ.org.
The country's crisis stems from the results of the March Presidential elections, which was initially won by the Movement for Democratic Change. Mugabe, a two-decade long incumbent, demanded a recount after which it was again declared that the opposition had won by over fiver per cent. Mugabe however refused to vacate his seat and is currently demanding a second round of voting by the public.
The Movement for Democratic Change has not decided how they will approach the situation, as of yet. The party is fearful of a second round defeat because of vote buying allegations against Mugabe in the previous round.
This crisis and countless others in Zimbabwe's long history have contributed to what Baglo cited as their using the media as "scapegoats." Whether or not this crisis will be solved quickly, remains to be seen.
