In these precarious conditions, expression and truth-telling are the first layers of casualty, as nations recoil, become inward looking, focusing on narrow national issues at the expense of a holistic picture. Suffice to say the entire construct of humanity is highly vulnerable due to such inward-looking approaches.
News
MISA STATEMENT TO THE AFRICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES’ RIGHTS ON THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IN SOUTHERN AFRICA AT THE 79th ORDINARY SESSION OF THE AFRICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN AND PEOPLES’ RIGHTS
Honourable Commissioners, in 2021, the ACHPR passed Resolution 473 on the need to undertake a study on human and people’s rights and artificial intelligence. I am also cognizant of the ongoing African Union Commission consultative processes on the same, where MISA made formal submissions.
MISA ZIMBABWE 2023 STATE OF THE MEDIA REPORT (Now Available!!!)
The Police-Media Action Plan, among other action points, aims to improve the professional relations between the police and the media while curbing or reducing cases of media freedom violations involving law enforcement agents.
SADC calls on journalists to amplify appeals for regional humanitarian support
“Governments in the region are constrained in their ability to support due to significant economic challenges, including public debt burdens and other social priorities such as the response to the cholera outbreaks, and as a result, the region will soon be
launching a regional humanitarian appeal for support,” he said in a speech read on his behalf by the deputy executive secretary, Judith Kateera.
JOURNALISM IN THE FACE OF ENVIRONMENTAL CRISES
As of April 2024, at least three Southern African countries — Malawi, Zambia, and Zimbabwe — had declared the 2023-2024 agricultural season a state of disaster.
Now Available: AI Report on Southern Africa
Applications of AI in Southern Africa are in their early stages. Many pilot projects and technology-driven business models demonstrate the potential for AI to benefit underserved populations, better connect local communities and international technology firms, and improve lives.
ACHPR raises concern over mass surveillance
In a statement following the 77th Ordinary Session held from 20 October to 9 November 2023 in Arusha, Tanzania, the ACHPR reminded African nations that Principle 41 of the Declaration of Principles on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information in Africa states that countries should only engage in targeted surveillance in conformity with international human rights law.
Call for more trainings on safety and security for female journalists
The call was made after MISA Zimbabwe held a safety and security training workshop in Harare on 22 July 2023, which deliberately targeted young female journalists. Thirty female journalists drawn from 25 media houses participated in the training workshop.
ZIMBABWE 2023 ELECTIONS AND BEYOND: Media regulation, Journalism Safety and Security
Sadly, the country continued to witness cases involving the wanton unlawful arrests, assaults, and harassment of journalists with impunity, with none of the perpetrators of these media freedom violations being held accountable or brought to book.
MISA Zimbabwe 2022 State of the Media Report (Now Available)
While Zimbabwe is commendably not among the African countries with jailed journalists, the country witnessed an upsurge in the number of cases involving the assaults of journalists at political gatherings/rallies, with some sustaining injuries for which they sought medical treatment.