Zimbabwe: CFWIJ Condemns The Police Harassment Against Journalist Elizabeth Mashiri
Location: Zimbabwe
Date: September 2, 2021
The bureau chief and assistant editor for The Mirror Midlands, Elizabeth Mashiri, was detained by police in Gweru on August 17. The journalist was recording a scuffle between the police and vendors when she was apprehended for allegations of disorderly conduct. Elizabeth was taken into custody even after producing her press credentials issued by the Zimbabwe Media Commission. After intervention from her lawyer, the police released Elizabeth after four hours in detention.
The CFWIJ condemns the police harassment against Elizabeth Mashiri. We believe she was targeted for recording possible police crimes. We urge the state authorities to look into the police’s conduct and drop the charges against the journalist.
According to Elizabeth, the altercation started when vendors accused the police of taking bribes. She quoted that vendors exchanged harsh words with police and clearly told the officers they are tired of paying daily bribes. At the police station, an officer told the journalist to either pay a fine or spend the night in a filthy cell. Elizabeth refused to pay the fine and defended that she was present at the incident in a journalistic capacity. She also told the officer she has a constitutional right to report a story even if it involves the police. After her lawyer explained the futility of keeping the journalist in jail overnight, the police let Elizabeth go.
Elizabeth also stated she was physically assaulted by a police constable, identified as Mutunda from his uniform tag. He grabbed her jacket and pushed her inside the municipal van while ignoring her press identification. Another officer lifted her dress as she was pushing Elizabeth into the van before being taken to the police station. After she was charged, the journalist was thrown into a dirty cell.
The Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) issued a statement to condemn the blatant police harassment, “ZUJ is disturbed by the news just coming in that Union’s Gweru branch chairperson, Elizabeth Mashiri, has been arrested for allegedly taking pictures during a police blitz on vendors in Gweru.”
The Coalition For Women In Journalism demands state authorities interrogate the police officers involved in the harassment and assault against Elizabeth Mashiri. We believe she was targeted for reporting the alleged crimes being committed by police in the Gweru region. We call on the authorities to drop the baseless charges against the journalist immediately.
Zim journalist Elizabeth Mashiri was arrested last month and charged for Filming Police Clash With Vendors
— Lisah Ncube (Dutchess of Matebeleland) (@lisah_ncube) September 1, 2021
Constable Mutundwa, grabbed and dragged her to a municipal vehicle.
Journalists must be allowed to work freely. This is an attempt by the state to cutail media freedom pic.twitter.com/Saz2fJQbiZ
The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.
If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.