Freedom of opinion

Zimbabwe dicator Robert Mugabe has signed a new law to imprison journalists for up to 20 years for publishing false information.

Zimbabwean journalists already faced long jail terms for publishing "falsehoods" under existing law. Under Section 15 of the Public Order and Security Act enacted in 2002, journalists could be jailed for up to five years or fined Z$100,000 for publishing incorrect information.

This is blatant intimidation. In past years one might have trusted the judiciary in Zimbabwe to treat such cases fairly, but all the indepenent judges have been sacked and replaced by Mugabe appointees.

Even if a journalist wins the case at court, they will have spent months or years in fetid prisons on remand, and probably suffer several beatings by police.

We take it for granted in the civilised world that we can say what we like. This blog would land me in more trouble than I’d care for, if I lived in Zimbabwe.

What concerns me is the world’s ambivalence to Mugabe. The latest destruction of urban townships would have been decried more loudly if it had occurred under Ian Smith or apartheid in South Africa.

Mugabe’s tactic here is to remove disgruntled poor black voters from the cities and force them to rural areas where they can be more easily controlled. It’s classic Stalinism.

Mugabe is worse than Saddam Hussein. The world should intervene to save a country from ruin.

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