21 March 2023 | 11:50 PM

MGCIJ slams the arrest of former amaBhungane reporter in Zimbabwe

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Key Takeaways

The M&G Centre for Investigative Journalism condemns the arrest of Owen Gagare, a former intern of ours, together with Zimbabwe Independent editor Dumisani Muleya by the Zimbabwean authorities.

The two were arrested over a story pertaining to the possibility of a post-election pact between the opposition party and the securocrats in the Zimbabwean military.

Despite their release from police cells, the spurious charges against them remain. These charges, of “publishing falsehoods prejudicial to the State” are arbitrary, authoritarian and out of step with any conception of freedom of expression.

Arresting journalists for doing their work is in flagrant violation of press freedom, the public’s right to know and fundamentally undermines the rule of law.

MGCIJ therefore calls for the removal of these charges and for a renewed commitment to press freedom by the Zimbabwean authorities.

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INVESTIGATOR:

Aisha Abdool Karim

Aisha is a freelance science and health reporter. She is joining the amaB team to work on a project about water and sanitation. Aisha’s passion for long-form narrative and investigative journalism was sparked while doing her master’s degree at Columbia University in New York. After graduating in 2018, she returned to South Africa and began working as a general beat reporter for the Daily Maverick. Aisha joined the Bhekisisa Centre for Health Journalism in 2020 to focus on science reporting. During her time there, she covered the COVID-19 pandemic extensively — from fact-checking harmful medical misinformation to unpacking the science behind vaccine development. Aisha’s special interests include analysing health systems and in-depth coverage of public health issues and infectious diseases. She also loves spreadsheets and digging through data.