Bomb fails to silence Zimbabwean newspaper

By freedomforum.org staff

02.01.01

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The bombing of the printing press of the Daily News has done nothing to silence the voice of Zimbabwe's leading independent newspaper and has brought international condemnation of the attack.

In a long editorial in yesterday's edition of the Harare-based daily, the newspaper poses the issue this way: "Whodunnit? A question for political sleuths."

Noting that the war veterans and Information Minister Jonathan Moyo are suspected in the attack on the outspoken newspaper, the editorial states:

"Of course, it is very difficult not to relate the virulent attacks on this newspaper by both the war veterans and Moyo to the bomb explosions at the printing press. To suggest that foreign agents or garden variety criminals took advantage of this outpouring of vitriol against the paper to carry out their own nefarious, but seemingly profitless plot, is to stretch things a little.

"Moyo did his bit to let the world know that his government was so fed up with the newspaper, it was time for it to be dealt with, once and for all," the newspaper said. "It has to be remembered that the attacks on this newspaper — both physical and verbal — have been political. In other words, the decisions to launch such attacks have had a political element and that can only mean that even the police, who have recently been accused of political bias in their operations, are going to view their investigations in that light."

As for the bombing itself, the editorial contended that "There had been meticulous planning and the plot was executed with the meticulous attention to detail that only trained professionals can bring to their work."

But the Daily News expressed more concern for Zimbabwe than it did for itself. "Our country is no longer run by a government committed to the rule of law. This lawlessness is no longer confined to a defiance of the Judiciary. It is definitely the beginning of the end of all the freedom we thought we won in 1980."

Meanwhile, the London-based press-advocacy group ARTICLE 19 condemned the bombing, noting that it came "after a week of vilification and harassment of the newspaper by the authorities and increasingly violent targeting of it by large groups of supporters of the ruling party and government."

Also focusing on the information minister, the watchdog group noted that although he has condemned the attack, "less than 12 hours before it was carried out he is reported to have stated that the newspaper had a 'cynical' attitude to 'anything and everything that is nationalistic, Zimbabwean or African' and to have said 'it is now only a matter of time before Zimbabweans put a final stop to this madness in defense of their cultural interest and national security.'"

ARTICLE 19 also said, "A free media is a cornerstone of democracy, and the increasing pressure on independent news outlets shows that in Zimbabwe democracy itself is at breaking point."

"The legitimate struggle for hearts and minds in the media has become an unacceptable physical battle for dominance which can never be won. The international community must make it clear to the government that its duty lies in creating an environment where free expression can flourish," the group said.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists also joined in condemning the newspaper bombing. It wrote in a letter to Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, "These violent attacks appear to be part of a deeply disturbing campaign against the Daily News and its staff, which have suffered frequent and ongoing harassment at the hands of police and top-ranking officials" of the ruling political party.

While noting that its sources "suggest that government supporters are responsible" for the attack, CPJ asked Mugabe "to insure that the case is thoroughly investigated, and that the perpetrators are held accountable for their crime."

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