Jonathan Moyo fighting terrorism!

Information Minister Jonathan Moyo said he was fighting against terrorism in the run-up to the 2002 presidential elections and labelled the opposition Movement for Democratic Change and the independent media as supporters of terrorism.

In an article he wrote for the Sunday Mail Moyo said: “Does the MDC, with the support of some diplomatic interests and media houses, really think that it can hoodwink Zimbabweans and the international community about its cowardly terrorism undertaken under cover of democracy, human rights and the rule of law?

“The time has come for the MDC terrorists and their media and diplomatic supporters to know and understand that the only weapon that can and will be used against them without fear or favour is the law through the courts. Nothing else.

“So the MDC terrorists and their media and diplomatic supporters can run, rave and rant for all they want, but they will not be able to hide. Justice will catch up with them. The law will smoke them out…”

Full cable:

Viewing cable 01HARARE3547, MEDIA REPORT — GOZ “FIGHTING TERRORISM”

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

270502Z Nov 01

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FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0378

INFO NSC WASHDC

AMEMBASSY PRETORIA

AMEMBASSY LUSAKA

AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK

AMEMBASSY GABORONE

AMEMBASSY LILONGWE

AMEMBASSY LONDON

UNCLAS HARARE 003547

SIPDIS

AF/PD (COX, ROBERTSON), AF/S FOR SCHLACHTER, AF/RA

(SWANN), INR/R/MR, NSC FOR JENDAYI FRAZER

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: ZI PREL PHUM

SUBJECT: MEDIA REPORT — GOZ “FIGHTING TERRORISM”

¶1.   GOVERNMENT OF ZIMBABWE (GOZ) OFFICIALS ARE

ATTEMPTING TO PORTRAY THE POLITICAL OPPOSITION AND

INDEPENDENT MEDIA AS “TERRORISTS.” GOZ OFFICIALS,

INCLUDING PRESIDENT MUGABE AND INFORMATION MINISTER

MOYO, HAVE RECENTLY DESCRIBED THE MOVEMENT FOR

DEMOCRATIC CHANGE (MDC), ITS LEADERS AND SUPPORTERS,

AND FOREIGN AND LOCAL JOURNALISTS AS “TERRORISTS.”

GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS’ USE OF THE WORDS “TERRORISM” AND

“TERRORIST” BEGAN WITH CHARACTERIZATIONS OF THE PEOPLE

RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ABDUCTION AND MURDER OF WAR VETERAN

CAIN NKALA IN BULAWAYO IN EARLY NOVEMBER. IN THE LAST

THREE WEEKS, GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS HAVE USED THOSE TERMS

MORE BROADLY TO DESCRIBE THE OPPOSITION AND THE

INDEPENDENT MEDIA.

¶2.   PRESIDENT MUGABE, DELIVERING A EULOGY AT THE

BURIAL OF WAR VETERAN CAIN NKALA, WARNED: “.THE

OPPOSITION MDC WILL BE CRUSHED VIOLENTLY FOR SPONSORING

TERRORISTS.”

¶3.   PICKING UP FROM WHERE PRESIDENT MUGABE LEFT OFF,

INFORMATION MINISTER JONATHAN MOYO HAS EXPANDED ON THE

GOZ’S “FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM.” UNDER MOYO’S CONTROL,

THE GOVERNMENT-OWNED PRINT AND ELECTRONIC MEDIA MAKE

EXTREMELY FREQUENT USE OF THE WORDS “TERRORIST” AND

“TERRORISM” IN THEIR REPORTING ON THE NKALA CASE. MOYO

HAS ALSO USED THE TERMS “TERRORIST” AND “TERRORISM” TO

DESCRIBE INDEPENDENT JOURNALISTS. HE HAS THREATENED

“TO GO AFTER” FOREIGN AND LOCAL JOURNALISTS WHOM HE

ACCUSED OF “GROSS AND OBSCENE MISREPRESENTATION OF

FACTS” IN THEIR REPORTING ON EVENTS IN ZIMBABWE. IN

THE NOVEMBER 23 EDITION OF THE GOVERNMENT-OWNED DAILY

“THE HERALD,” MOYO OFFERS THE FOLLOWING THOUGHTS ON

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PAGE 03       HARARE 03547 270550Z

FOREIGN CORRESPONDENTS AND THE INDEPENDENT MEDIA: “AS

FOR THE CORRESPONDENTS WE WOULD LIKE THEM TO KNOW THAT

WE AGREE WITH PRESIDENT BUSH THAT ANYONE WHO IN ANY WAY

FINANCES, HARBORS OR DEFENDS TERRORISTS IS HIMSELF A

TERRORIST. WE TOO WILL NOT MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN

TERRORISTS AND THEIR FRIENDS OR SUPPORTERS. . . THIS

KIND OF MEDIA TERRORISM WILL NOT BE ALLOWED . . .”

¶4.   MINISTER MOYO ALSO WROTE AN OP-ED PIECE ON THIS

TOPIC FOR THE NOVEMBER 25 EDITION OF THE GOVERNMENT-

OWNED WEEKLY “SUNDAY MAIL.” THE ARTICLE OFFERED

FURTHER INSIGHT INTO MINISTER MOYO’S ATTITUDE TOWARD

THE OPPOSITION AND THE INDEPENDENT MEDIA. UNDER THE

TITLE “MDC ‘CLEAN-UP’ STRATEGY EXPOSED” MOYO WROTE: “.

. .DOES THE MDC, WITH THE SUPPORT OF SOME DIPLOMATIC

INTERESTS AND MEDIA HOUSES, REALLY THINK THAT IT CAN

HOODWINK ZIMBABWEANS AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

ABOUT ITS COWARDLY TERRORISM UNDERTAKEN UNDER COVER OF

DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE RULE OF LAW. . .? THE

TIME HAS COME FOR THE MDC TERRORISTS AND THEIR MEDIA

AND DIPLOMATIC SUPPORTERS TO KNOW AND UNDERSTAND THAT

THE ONLY WEAPON THAT CAN AND WILL BE USED AGAINST THEM

WITHOUT FEAR OR FAVOR IS THE LAW THROUGH THE COURTS.

NOTHING ELSE. SO THE MDC TERRORISTS AND THEIR MEDIA

AND DIPLOMATIC SUPPORTERS CAN RUN, RAVE AND RANT FOR

ALL THEY WANT, BUT THEY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO HIDE.

JUSTICE WILL CATCH UP WITH THEM. THE LAW WILL SMOKE

THEM OUT. . .”

SULLIVAN

UNCLASSIFIED

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