On Thursday, some of our staffers spent valuable productive time trying to free journalists Obey Manayiti, Abigail Matsikidze and Shepherd Tozvireva and driver Ralph Phiri, who had been arrested by clearly rogue police officers.
NewsDay Editorial
Manayiti, for good measure, was assaulted with fists — and he suffered a bruised lip and swollen cheek — by a police officer, who clearly does not have a clue what his job is, what human rights are and what freedom of expression is.
The quartet’s “crime” was that they had been seen spotted taking pictures of some crowd trouble in the Harare central business district and it does not need a lawyer or a police officer to point out that this is not illegal.
For the avoidance of doubt, the journalists had their Zimbabwe Media Commission accreditation cards, which should have been enough to convince the police that what they were doing was not a crime, but the rogue and clearly criminal officers would have none of it and pummelled the helpless media personnel.
Besides the accreditation, every citizen is allowed to take pictures in public and there is no justification for the police officers to become violent in such a manner.
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Luckily, even in the melee, our brave photojournalist, Tozvireva, was able to capture pictures of the police officer manhandling Manayiti.
That police officer has become the poster boy for police violence against journalists and that picture shall be used ad nauseam to show that there are some rogue officers, who just ignore the law and take it into their own hands.
This is not to say we are fighting the police, but rather exposing rogue elements within the force, who deserve to be rooted out.
We are certain that even police boss, Commissioner-General Augustine Chihuri, and spokesperson, Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba — who has at times engaged the media to cultivate a good working relationship between the two bodies — do not approve of this wayward, crude and patently illegal behaviour from this police officer.
In that view, our journalists are leaving all legal options open to them, even if it means suing that so far unnamed police officer in his personal capacity.
This will not include suing the police force or the Home Affairs ministry, as we are convinced that the police officer acted in his own capacity and no senior person can approve such rascal behaviour.
This will send a clear message to other like-minded cops, who may be tempted to take the law into their own hands and abuse journalists and members of the public for no apparent reason.
We hope his seniors censure him strongly and even if it means firing or demoting him, no tear will be shed for him because he is bringing the whole police force into disrepute with his thuggish and crass behaviour.
Journalism is not a crime.