Chakaodza says Jonathan Moyo is in for a surprise

The editor of the Standard Bornwell Chakaodza said if Information Minister Jonathan Moyo thought that arresting and charging journalists would silence the press, then he was in for a surprise.

In an editorial after his arrest, Chakaodza said: “History tells us that when ruling parties start legislating to protect themselves, when they begin to punish dissent, then their days are numbered.”

Full cable:

Viewing cable 02HARARE1198, STANDARD” EDITORIAL DEFIANT

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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS HARARE 001198

SIPDIS

AF/PD FOR COX AND ROBERTSON, AF/S FOR KRAFT AND

SCHLACHTER, AF/RA FOR DIPALMA, INR/R/MR, NSC FOR

JENDAYI FRAZER

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: ZI PREL PHUM

SUBJECT: “STANDARD” EDITORIAL DEFIANT

¶1.   In the wake of his May 16 arrest for “publishing

false stories,” the editor of the independent weekly

“Standard,” Bornwell Chakaodza, used his May 19

editorial as a defiant bully pulpit. Excerpts:

¶2.   “. . .Daring to tell the truth, even the obvious

truth, is now a dangerous occupation. . . (Information

Minister Jonathan) Moyo has declared war on the free

press and will do whatever he can to crush it beneath

his clumsy boot. Fortunately he won’t succeed.

“. . .History tells us that when ruling parties

start legislating to protect themselves, when they

begin to punish dissent, then their days are

numbered. ZANU PF’s good fortune has been the good-

natured tolerance of Zimbabweans, but that

tolerance is wearing thin. . . If they think that

passing laws in a rubber-stamp parliament, or

buying powerful weapons of oppression, will

lengthen their stay, then they’re sadly mistaken.

It also needs to be said that if the police or

Jonathan Moyo thinks that arresting and charging

journalists will silence the press, then they too

are in for a surprise. It won’t – and the angrier

they become, the more entrenched and resolute will

be the determination to carry on.”

SULLIVAN

(45 VIEWS)