SOS hotline: Legal help for journalists in distress
The SOS hotline provides rapid legal help for media professionals and other content creators in distress 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
What is the SOS hotline?
Those who find themselves in distress while carrying out media-related duties or while asserting their rights to freedom of expression or access to information can call or text the hotline on 0784 437 338.
Through our Media Defence Fund, we can provide access to rapid legal assistance or other kinds of support.
Who is eligible for assistance?
You are eligible for legal representation if you are detained or arrested during the course of your lawful professional duties if you are a:
- Journalist
- Media professionalContent creator
How do I get assistance?
Call or text us on our 24/7 hotline: 0784 437 338
Tell us:
- What exactly has happened – give a short description of the incident
- Who is involved
- Where it happened
If you have been arrested or detained, tell us;
- What the charges are
- Where you are being held
What will MISA Zimbabwe do?
- We will immediately send a lawyer from our Media Lawyers Network, which has representatives throughout Zimbabwe, to attend to you.
- We will also issue an alert about the media violation with details of the incident.
How else can the Media Defence fund help?
As well as helping with legal representation, depending on the situation, we can also assist with:
- Medical costs
- Transport costs
- Food and upkeep costs
Please note, at times, high profile cases may attract donor funding that is channelled through the Media Defence Fund. This means individual cases are assessed on a needs basis and the level of support is dependent on the available funding.