Human Rights and Democracy - Official Documents

Prison on 11 June for four days without informing his lawyers and denied him access
to his medicine or medical treatment. Prosecutors eventually withdrew the charges
in October.
Generally, however, space for civil society continued to open up during 2010. A
surprising amount of criticism aimed at the government was allowed to be aired in
the independent press, in public debates and in civil society publications. Several
marches and demonstrations were held peacefully, many with police cooperation.
But civil society groups and the MDC-T were still unable to rely on an unrestricted
right to assembly. In late October, the police prevented Prime Minister Morgan
Tsvangirai from holding meetings with supporters in three Harare suburbs, claiming
that they had not been informed in time. The Women of Zimbabwe Arise protest
march through Harare on International Day of Peace in September led to 83
members being charged with criminal nuisance.
Another positive sign is that the slew of charges against MDC-T members of
parliament seen in 2009 slowed in 2010, although some MPs and MDC-T activists
and supporters were still harassed and arrested. Four MDC-T MPs were sentenced
in 2009 on spurious charges and suspended from parliament. Three of them, Ernest
Mudavanhu, Mathias Mlambo and Shuah Mudiwa, have since won appeals against
their convictions and that of the fourth, Meki Makuyana, is waiting to be heard.
Freedom of expression
State broadcasting outlets and one of the daily newspapers are controlled by ZANU­
(PF) and continue to broadcast or publish ZANU-(PF) propaganda. However, there
are lively independent newspapers in Zimbabwe which publish with greater
openness than may be expected. Independent journalists were, on occasion,
harassed during 2010. Police served summonses on two journalists with the
Zimbabwe Independent that related to a story about the police commissioner’s
opposition to electoral reforms. But all broadcast media is state-owned and no new
broadcast licences have been issued. We welcomed the issuing of licences to four
new daily newspapers and the fact that the BBC can now report from Zimbabwe.
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