IWMF SUPPORT FOR PRESS FREEDOM

IWMF SUPPORT FOR PRESS FREEDOM

On JANUARY 8, 2009, the IWMF sent out this message to its members -
Zimbabwe Journalist, Activist Held in “Stench”

'Zimbabwean authorities have accused former journalist Jestina Mukoko of a terrorist plot to overthrow President Robert Mugabe. She is now being held in a high-security prison and faces a possible death sentence.
According to Reporters Without Borders, the Zimbabwean police brought Mukoko and nine other human rights activists before a court on Dec. 24 on charges of organizing a Zimbabwean police officer’s trip to Botswana to receive military training as part of a plan to overthrow Mugabe.
Mukoko went to court Jan. 5, but the hearing was postponed, said Peta Thornycroft, an independent journalist in Zimbabwe who is the recipient of the IWMF’s 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award. A court order, which was defied by police, mandated that Mukoko and the other activists be evaluated at a hospital. “Chikurubi, the prison she is in, has the most appalling blocked sewage system of septic tanks, which haven't been cleaned for years and one can smell them from miles away, literally,” said Thornycroft. “I cannot imagine the stench inside the prison. She is in the women's prison, which is obviously better than the men's section."
The IWMF sent a petition to Mugabe concerning Mukoko’s Dec. 3 abduction. The former broadcaster at the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation who now heads the Zimbabwe Peace Project was taken from her home by a group of men, some of whom were armed. The IWMF advocates for a free press and calls for Mukoko's release.
• Add your signature to our petition for Mukoko's release.
*Note: Your name and e-mail address will be collected by the IWMF when you fill out the form but will not be published on our Web site."

Today March 3, 2009 the IWMF have sent out this good news -

Jestina Mukoko Released from Zimbabwean Prison

"Former journalist Jestina Mukoko, who was abducted by Zimbabwean security agents at dawn three months ago, has been released from prison. Mukoko was recently taken to a clinic in Harare, where she was treated for high blood pressure and injuries that doctors said were consistent with torture.
Thank you to everyone in the IWMF network who advocated for her release. Help the IWMF continue to support press freedom."

To know more about iwmf visit their website at www.iwmf.org
I wish other organizations will follow IWMF example and team up to fight media repression.