Zimbabwe First Lady Auxillian Mnangagwa will be questioned about the continued detention of journalist Blessed Mhlanga when she visits London in June, a British peer Lord Aotes said in the House of Lords yesterday.
He said the British government must also make it clear that there will be no resumption of normal relations with Zimbabwe while the ZANU-PF regime continues to detain journalists, deny media freedom and defy democratic norms.
He was contributing to a debate on the safety of journalists and other media workers across the globe. He said seven journalists had been killed in Sudan since the war broke out while more than 176 journalists and media workers have been killed in Gaza.
“In Zimbabwe, a country close to my heart, media freedom has been under siege for decades now. Journalists are regularly intimidated, detained and, on occasion, murdered,” he said.
“Printing presses have been blown up and public dissent silenced. As we speak, the journalist Blessed Mhlanga has been detained for 59 days and denied his constitutional right to bail.
“His crime is having the temerity to conduct an interview with a former war veteran who opposes President Mnangagwa’s desire to extend his term in office and has highlighted the criminal corruption of the regime and the President’s family.”
Mhlanga was arrested on 24 February and has been on remand since. He is charged with incitement following his interviews with war veteran Blessed Geza who has been calling for Mnangagwa to step down because he has failed to run the country.
Lord Oates went on: “I note that the President’s wife is due to speak at a summit in London in June. I hope that Members of our Parliament who are choosing to take part will challenge Zimbabwe’s First Lady on the continued detention of Blessed Mhlanga and the overall brutality of the regime she represents, and I hope the Government will continue to make clear that there will be no resumption of normal relations with Zimbabwe while the ZANU-PF regime continues to detain journalists, deny media freedom and defy democratic norms.”
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