concerning the president that could endanger feelings of hostility or cause hatred, contempt or ridicule of the president. Sections 23-31 on public gatherings provide the police with extensive powers to regulate and control any public gatherings, including banning or breaking up meetings if they are deemed to endanger public order. Section 24 requires the organizer of a public gathering to give at least four clear days notice of the holding of the gathering to the regulating authority for the area for which the holding is being held. The Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) AIPPA introduced in 2002, creates a government-appointed Media and Information Commission (MIC) which has wide-ranging regulatory powers over the media, including the accreditation of journalists, the registration of media houses, and the enforcement of professional and ethical standards in the media. The MIC’s governing Board is appointed by the Minister of Information. The Act makes it mandatory for journalists and media houses to register with the MIC and prohibits non-Zimbabwean journalists or individuals without permanent residency to work as journalists, unless for restricted periods and with the permission of MIC. Journalists and media houses that operate without accreditation are liable to two years in prison. Journalists must renew their accreditation annually, for which there is an application fee, while media houses must re-register ever two years. The MIC may cancel registration for a wide-ranging number of reasons. On January 7 2005, the government passed an amendment to AIPPA that provides for criminal penalties to journalists who operate without a license. The Miscellaneous Offences Act (MOA) MOA was enacted in 1964 under colonial rule. It provides for the punishment of a broad range of offences including penalties for riotous or indecent conduct or threats in a public place. The police have frequently used MOA to arbitrarily arrest opposition and civil society activists on spurious charges. Section 7 (a) of MOA makes it an offence punishable by a fine or imprisonment of up to one year if a person is guilty of riotous or indecent conduct. Section 7 (b) makes it an offence punishable by a fine or imprisonment of up to one year if a person uses any 32