THE arrest of Alpha Media Holdings senior journalist Blessed Mhlanga this week is a deeply-troubling and reprehensible act that strikes at the very heart of democracy and freedom of expression in Zimbabwe.
His crime supposedly emanated from broadcasting an interview he did with war veteran Blessed Geza.
The targeting of journalists such as Mhlanga, who are simply doing their job by informing the public and shedding light on issues of national importance, is an affront to the principles of democracy and human rights.
The government’s actions in this case are not only an attack on Mhlanga as an individual, but also a direct assault on the media fraternity and the broader citizenry.
When journalists are silenced, the flow of information is stifled, and the public is left in the dark.
This creates an environment where corruption, abuse of power, and injustice can thrive unchecked. If the government continues to muzzle journalists, there will be no democracy to talk about.
A society without a free press is a society on the brink of authoritarianism, where dissent is crushed, and the voices of the people are suppressed.
This act must be condemned by every right-thinking Zimbabwean and by the media fraternity across the continent and beyond.
- Letter to my people: The experiment has failed spectacularly
- Village Rhapsody: Zimbabwean journalists under siege
- AMH journalists arrested
- Letter to my people: The experiment has failed spectacularly
Keep Reading
Silence in the face of such injustice is complicity. If we remain quiet today, we risk normalising these attacks on press freedom, and tomorrow it could be any one of us facing the same fate.
The pattern of arrests and intimidation of journalists must stop.
It can only be broken through collective action and unwavering solidarity.
The media plays a critical role in shaping public discourse and holding those in power accountable. When journalists are arrested for doing their job, it sends a chilling message to others in the profession and to society at large.
It creates a climate of fear and self-censorship, where people are afraid to speak truth to power. This is not the kind of society we want to live in. We must stand up and demand that the rights of journalists be respected and protected. We must demand that the government upholds the constitution and respects the rule of law.
To the media fraternity, this is a call to action. We cannot afford to be complacent. We must unite and speak with one voice against this injustice. We must use our platforms to amplify the voices of those who are silenced and to demand accountability from those in power.
To the citizens of Zimbabwe, this is a reminder that the fight for press freedom is your fight too.
Today it is Mhlanga, but tomorrow it could be you. Let us not wait until it is too late. Let us stand together and condemn this act in the strongest terms.
Journalism is not a crime; it is a service to democracy.
