The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ)
welcomes the news that a New Zealand photographer was released from three weeks
detention by police in Zimbabwe on May 10, 2012
Hammond had been working in Zimbabwe on a long-term project for the previous
two years. On or around April 21, he was arrested in the south of the country
while taking photos near the country’s border with South Africa, in connection
with a story on irregular migration between Zimbabwe and South Africa.
According
to the Zimbabwe newspaper The Herald,
Hammond was charged with ‘breaching media regulations’.
After over
two weeks in a jail in Beitbridge, in Matabeleland South Province, he was moved
to the capital Harare on Saturday May 5. After intervention from his lawyers
and the New Zealand Government, Hammond was finally released on May 10, 2012.
Hammond’s employer, Panos Pictures, announced his
release in a statement on
their website.
“The IFJ welcomes the release of Robin Hammond,
despite the questionable charges that led to his imprisonment,” IFJ
Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park said.
“However, we maintain that his incarceration was unjustified
and an attack on press freedom in Zimbabwe.”
For further information
contact IFJ Asia-Pacific on +91-124-4056719
The IFJ
represents more than 600,000 journalists in 131 countries
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