Vienna — The following is an IPI Watch List protest to President Robert Mugabe:
His Excellency President Robert Mugabe Office of the President Causeway, Harare Zimbabwe
Your Excellency,
The International Press Institute (IPI), the global network of editors, media executives and leading journalists in over 120 countries, condemns in the strongest possible terms the assault on a prominent media lawyer.
According to information provided to IPI, Beatrice Mtetwa suffered severe bruising and cuts to her body after being beaten by a policeman. The incident occurred on 12 October when police were called to assist Mtetwa after thieves attacked her car. However, when the police arrived they promptly accused her of driving while under the influence of alcohol.
During the three hours that Mtetwa was held in custody she was beaten by a policeman both in the car on the way to the Borrowdale police station and while at the police station. "At the station he kicked me all over my body in addition to the blows he had inflicted on my face. The assault was in full view of the other [policemen] who were at the charge office and who refused to intervene," Mtetwa said. Upon being released from custody Mtetwa sought medical treatment for her injuries and had them documented.
On 16 October Mtetwa returned to the Borrowdale police station to press charges and provide a written statement. A police spokesperson, assistant commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena, has said he is unaware of these charges.
Mtetwa is a well known media lawyer in Zimbabwe. She acted on behalf of journalist Andrew Meldrum who worked for the British Guardian in his fight against a charge of writing "falsehoods" and she recently advised the independent Daily News which was closed down in September this year for alleged breaches of Zimbabwe's Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
IPI is deeply concerned by the attack. It is another sign of the breakdown of the rule of law in Zimbabwe. The fact that one of the police officers apparently told Mtetwa "the tables have turned" is a sign that the police were aware of who she was and it is difficult not to see the attack as either a vicious act of retribution for her past legal work or as an attempt to intimidate or silence her.
With the above in mind, IPI calls on the Zimbabwean government to hold an independent inquiry into the vicious assault, to bring the perpetrator to justice and to put in place new procedures to ensure that there is no repeat of this incident.
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We thank you for your attention.
Yours sincerely,
Johann P. Fritz Director
BACKGROUND:
Zimbabwe was placed on the IPI Watch List on 20 October 2001. In its press release IPI said, "[It] is deeply concerned at attempts to extinguish press freedom in the country against a background of government support for this activity and reluctance to prosecute offenders, restrictions imposed, or contemplated, by the government on the media, and the breakdown of the rule of law."
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Similar appeals can be sent to:
President Robert Mugabe Office of the President Causeway, Harare Zimbabwe Fax: + 263 4 728 799 / 708 820 / 734 644
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
