HARARE, MAY 11 - THE Editor of the privately owned the Zimbabwe Independent, Vincent Kahiya and his News Editor Constantine Chimakure, were on Monday taken into custody over a story naming members of the state security agents implicated in the abductions of human rights defenders and journalists.Iden Wetherell, the paper’s Special Editor, sent an SOS to media organisations and journalists on the plight of the two newsmen.
Wetherell said the two journalists presented themselves to the Law and
Order Section at the Harare Central on Monday morning and had not
returned to the newspaper offices by 3pm yesterday.
"There are fears they want to lock them up overnight," he said.
Sources to The Zimbabwean the two journalists were asked to switch off
their mobile phones at lunchtime on Monday as police officers prepared
to lock them up.
Chimakure wrote a story on Friday naming members of the Central
Intelligence Organisation and police who were allegedly involved in the
abductions of human rights and Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC) activists amongst them freelance journalist Shadreck Andrisson Manyere last year.
The story titled, CIO, police role in activists’ abduction revealed,
states that notices of indictment for trial in the High Court which
begins 29 June 2009, served on some of the activists last week revealed
that the activists were either in the custody of the CIO or police
during the period they were reported missing.
Amongst those named are CIO Assistant Director External, retired
brigadier Asher Walter Tapfumaneyi, Police Superintendents, Reggies
Chikwete and Joel Tendere, Detective Inspectors, Elliot Muchada and
Joshua Muzangano, CID Homicide Officer Commanding, Crispen Kadenge,
Chief Superintendent Peter Magwenzi and Senior Assistant Commissioner,
Simon Nyathi.
When the officials from the police visited the office of the Zimbabwe
Independent on Saturday, both Kahiya and Chimakure were not at the
offices.
They spoke to Chief Executive Officer, Raphael Khumalo and asked that
the two report to their offices as soon as they were available.
Manyere and the other activists are charged under section 23 (1), (2)
of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, which criminalises
acts of insurgence, banditry, sabotage or terrorism or alternatively
Section 143 of the same Act, which relates to aggravating circumstances
in relation to malicious damage to property.
Manyere went missing on 3 December 2008, and only appeared on 24
December 2008, together with former newsreader with the Zimbabwe
Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) and director of the Zimbabwe Peace
Project, Jestina Mukoko.