50 Election dispute resolution mechanisms The government has displayed antagonism towards sectors of the print and electronic media that have been critical of it. Independent journalists have been physically assaulted by political party supporters and by the police; they have been arrested, assaulted and imprisoned, whilst others have gone into exile. The Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) has been a long-term weapon against dissenting voices. It introduced stifling restrictions on the operations of the print media such as registration of media houses and accreditation of journalists by a body whose members are handpicked by the President. Although AIPPA was amended by an Act published at the beginning of 2008, the amended provisions do not restore holistic freedom of expression and freedom of the press that are critical components necessary for credible, free and fair elections. Undertakings in the GPA to further amend such repressive media laws were not realised during the lifetime of the IG. Vague criminal offences remain in AIPPA which can (and continue to) be used as a weapon against the press. Additionally there are various draconian offences in the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act relating to insult and criminal defamation that can be, and have been used for the same purpose. 3.7.1 Imparting information 3.7.1.1 Experiences of individual HRDs79 Genuine social conversation or innocent comments, as well as jovial campaign slogans during electioneering have landed many HRDs in trouble with the law. Word of mouth, Facebook posts, articles and any statement issued or uttered is closely monitored in Zimbabwe and reported to the authorities by overzealous citizens and political party supporters. Journalists have also been targeted for writing articles that are deemed to be injurious. Some have been charged with communicating falsehoods that are prejudicial to the state. Some examples appear below: The “biscuit man” – A man who commented that his colleague was now enjoying biscuits and Cascade juice for lunch because of the presence of the Prime Minister in the IG was charged with undermining the office of the President. He was eventually acquitted of the offence. The “dreaming man” – A man who was representing himself in court was convicted of insulting the office of the President after commenting that he was going to be able to buy a BMW car “after Mugabe dies”. The appeal against conviction is pending in the courts. The social media fanatic – A man was charged with attempting to subvert a government by unconstitutional means over a comment he allegedly wrote on Prime Minister Tsvangirai’s Facebook page expressing his approval of the protests in Egypt that led to 79 These are actual cases that are being handled by human rights lawyers and the names of the HRDs have been protected.