Amnesty International has condemned the arrest of the editor of the privately owned Zimbabwe Independent, calling it a direct assault on press freedom and the constitutional right to free expression.
Zaba was detained on Tuesday in Harare on charges of “undermining the authority or insulting the President” following the publication of a satirical column titled “When You Become Mafia State” in the weekly’s Muckraker section.
Her lawyer, Chris Mhike, confirmed that the charges stem from the article’s critique of President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Zaba remains in custody pending a bail hearing scheduled for Friday, which was postponed due to a review of her medical records amid concerns over her health.
Amnesty International’s Senior Researcher for East and Southern Africa Khanyo Farisè described the arrest as “part of a disturbing pattern of using the criminal justice system to silence independent media voices”.
“Zimbabwean authorities must immediately release Faith Zaba and drop all charges against her as she is detained simply for doing her job. Journalism is not a crime,” Farisè said in a statement late Thursday.
Zaba’s arrest has drawn widespread condemnation from civil society, media watchdogs and regional press freedom advocates.
The Zimbabwe National Editors Forum, the African Editors Forum, and Gender and Media Connect have all issued statements denouncing the detention as retrogressive and politically motivated.
The case followed the earlier arrest of Blessed Mhlanga, head of news at HSTV, who spent 72 days in pretrial detention after broadcasting critical remarks from a former ruling party official.
Both journalists work under Alpha Media Holdings, one of Zimbabwe’s largest independent media houses6.
Zaba voluntarily surrendered to police after two failed attempts to arrest her at the offices of Alpha Media Holdings.
JN/APA