April 2010 1-56432-622-5 Sleight of Hand Repression of the Media and the Illusion of Reform in Zimbabwe I. Summary ......................................................................................................................... 1 II. Recommendations .......................................................................................................... 4 To the Power-Sharing Government of Zimbabwe ............................................................. 4 To South African President Jacob Zuma and His Zimbabwe Facilitation Team.................. 4 To Southern African Development Community Member States and the African Union ......5 To the Wider International Community (including the United States, the United Kingdom, and Other European Union Members) ..............................................................................5 III. Methodology ................................................................................................................. 6 IV. Background ................................................................................................................... 7 Brief History of ZANU-PF Repression ................................................................................7 Global Political Agreement and Promised Reforms.......................................................... 8 Zimbabwean Law on Freedom of Expression and International Standards ...................... 9 V. Continuing Media Freedom Violations............................................................................ 11 Arbitrary Arrests and Harassment of Journalists ............................................................. 11 Threats and Harassment ................................................................................................ 14 VI. ZANU-PF’s Political Manipulation of Media Bodies ....................................................... 16 Myth of Media Reform ................................................................................................... 17 Unfulfilled Legislative Reforms ..................................................................................... 20 VII. Failing Power-Sharing and Human Rights Reform ....................................................... 22 VIII. South Africa’s Role in Mediating the Zimbabwe Crisis................................................ 24 IX. Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................... 26