Zimbabwe: Freelance photojournalist released after paying a fine

Freelance photojournalist Andrison Manyere has been released from police custody after paying US$20 admission of guilt fine for disorderly conduct in a public place.

Manyere was arrested on 1 March 2010 at the Harare Magistrates Courts while filming the arrival of accused persons charged with attempting to overthrow the government of Zimbabwe. His lawyer, Harrison Nkomo, confirmed his release.


Background

Manyere was arrested by officers of the Zimbabwe Prison Services and later detained at Harare Central Police Station for taking pictures of the accused persons without the permission of the Commissioner of Prisons. The accused persons have been in detention since 2007.

On 24 February 2010, Manyere was briefly detained and questioned at Zanu PF provincial headquarters in Harare ahead of March by the party’s youths against targeted sanctions imposed by the West against senior Zanu PF officials. He was ordered to delete footage of what he had filmed and later released.

Manyere who is on bail on charges of banditry, sabotage and terrorism in terms of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act, was on 18 January 2010 arrested by the police while covering a demonstration by members of the Women and Men of Zimbabwe Arise pressure group. He was later released without charges.

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Reagan Malumo
Programme Officer: Media Freedom Monitoring and Research
Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) Regional Secretariat
21 Johann Albrecht St
Private Bag 13386
Windhoek
Namibia
Phone: +264 61 232 975
Fax: +264 61 248 016
Mobile: +264 81 311 2626
Official Email: reagan@misa.org
Private Email: reagan32002@yahoo.com


- March 02, 2010 by Reagan Malumo
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Source: www.misa.org (received via Email Alert on 02.03.2010)