Zimbabwe : Police assault and terrorise student journalist

Police officers assaulted and physically attacked a young female journalist in central Harare today, causing her several injuries. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) joins its affiliate the Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) in condemning the attack and calling on authorities to investigate the incident.

Police officers patrol in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Credits: ZINYANGE AUNTONY / AFP

Ruvimbo Muchenje, who is doing an internship with NewsDay, was assaulted after passing by a group of police officers while she was on assignment. According to the victim, one of the officers ordered the rest to beat her “because she is wearing a camera”.

Muchenje suffered several injuries to her back and had to receive medical attention. She claimed being traumatised by the police brutality.

ZUJ Secretary General, Foster Dongozi, condemned the police brutality and said that it is unacceptable that authorities terrorise fellow Zimbabweans.

"We are noticing an epidemic growth in the number of cases in which police are terrorising journalists in Zimbabwe. We strongly condemn the aggressions on journalists by police officers. We call on authorities to investigate this attack", Dongozi added.

IFJ General Secretary, Anthony Bellanger, said: “It's shameful that the police terrorise journalists, especially when they're young. We show all our support to Ruvimbo Muchenje and urge authorities to investigate the incident and hold the responsible police officers accountable”.

For more Information, please contact the IFJ - Africa Office

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