Nyarota released and off to US

Daily News editor Geoff Nyarota who had been arrested with his business partner Wilf Mbanga was released on bail but was allowed to travel to New York to collect his award for courage in journalism.

Nyarota and Mbanga were charged with three counts of contravening the Zimbabwe Investment Centre Act by using two slightly different company names in their articles of incorporation when they started the Daily News in 1998.

They were released on $10 000 bail, each.

Full cable:

Viewing cable 01HARARE3380, DAILY NEWS EDITOR RELEASED, TRAVELS TO U.S.

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

140730Z Nov 01

UNCLASSIFIED     PTQ3802

PAGE 01       HARARE 03380 140910Z

ACTION INR-00

INFO LOG-00   NP-00   AF-00   A-00     ACQ-00   CIAE-00 USNW-00

DODE-00 DS-00   EUR-00   UTED-00 VC-00   TEDE-00 L-00

VCE-00   NSAE-00 TEST-00 USIE-00 IIP-00   DSCC-00 DRL-02

NFAT-00 SAS-00     /002W

——————3DF3FA 140910Z /38

FM AMEMBASSY HARARE

TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0264

INFO NSC WASHDC

AMEMBASSY PRETORIA

AMEMBASSY LUSAKA

AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK

AMEMBASSY GABORONE

AMEMBASSY LILONGWE

AMEMBASSY LONDON

UNCLAS HARARE 003380

SIPDIS

AF/PD FOR COX, ROBERTSON, AF/S FOR SCHLACHTER, AF/P FOR

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

E.O. 12958: N/A

TAGS: ZI PREL PHUM

SUBJECT: DAILY NEWS EDITOR RELEASED, TRAVELS TO U.S.

¶1.   DAILY NEWS EDITOR-IN-CHIEF GEOFFREY NYAROTA AND HIS

FORMER BUSINESS PARTNER WILFRED MBANGA WERE RELEASED

FROM POLICE CUSTODY ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9 AFTER

APPEARING IN COURT AND BEING CHARGED WITH THREE COUNTS

OF CONTRAVENING A SECTION OF THE ZIMBABWE INVESTMENT

CENTER (ZIC) ACT. THE CHARGES RELATE TO THE USE OF TWO

SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT COMPANY NAMES ON ARTICLES OF

INCORPORATION FILED IN 1998. NYAROTA AND MBANGA WERE

ARRESTED AT ABOUT 0600 ON NOVEMBER 8 AND DETAINED

OVERNIGHT AT THE RHODESVILLE POLICE STATION IN HARARE.

THEY APPEARED BEFORE MAGISTRATE WESTON NYAMWANZA ON

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9. THE TWO PLEADED NOT GUILTY AND

WERE RELEASED UPON PAYMENT OF Z$10,000 BAIL EACH.

¶2.   MAGISTRATE NYAMWANZA ORDERED NYAROTA AND MBANGA TO

SURRENDER THEIR TRAVEL DOCUMENTS, REPORT EVERY TUESDAY TO

THE POLICE, NOT TO INTERFERE WITH WITNESSES, AND TO REMAIN

RESIDENT AT THEIR HOMES UNTIL THE CASE IS CONCLUDED.

NYAROTA, HOWEVER, WAS ALLOWED TO DEPART HARARE ON NOVEMBER

11 TO TRAVEL TO NEW YORK WHERE HE WILL ACCEPT THE COMMITTEE

TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS’ “PRESS FREEDOM AWARD FOR COURAGE IN

JOURNALISM” ON NOVEMBER 20. HE IS EXPECTED TO APPEAR AGAIN

IN COURT ON NOVEMBER 27.

¶3.   MEANWHILE, THE MEDIA INSTITUTE OF SOUTHERN AFRICA

(MISA) ISSUED A STATEMENT ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9,

DENOUNCING THE ARREST OF NYAROTA AND MBANGA AS

“UNACCEPTABLE IN ANY DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY.” INFORMATION

MINISTER JONATHAN MOYO WROTE AN ARTICLE FOR THE

NOVEMBER 13 EDITION OF THE GOVERNMENT-CONTROLLED DAILY

“THE HERALD” SHARPLY CRITICAL OF THE MISA STATEMENT.

MOYO CHARACTERIZED IT “OUTRAGEOUS AND DELIBERATELY

CALCULATED TO UNDERMINE THE RULE OF LAW IN ZIMBABWE.”

UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 03       HARARE 03380 140910Z

SULLIVAN

UNCLASSIFIED

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(18 VIEWS)