The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called on Zimbabwean authorities Wednesday to release detained journalist Faith Zaba, who was arrested for a satirical newspaper column about the country’s president.
Muthoki Mumo, the CPJ Africa program coordinator, stated that Zaba’s arrest points to the “fragile” state of the rights in the country, and the restrictive climate in which journalists operate. He urged the immediate and unconditional release of the reporter.
Faith Zaba is the editor of the Zimbabwe Independent, a private business weekly based in Harare and a subsidiary of Alpha Media Holdings. The CPJ reported that police summoned Zaba to the central police station in Harare on July 1 and charged her with undermining or insulting the authority of the president, after she had published an article criticizing President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s policy and the government’s administration.
At the time of her arrest, Zaba’s lawyer informed the CPJ that she was unwell and seriously ill. When she appeared before the magistrate’s court on July 2, the judges postponed her bail hearing at the prosecutor’s request for more time to verify her medical records. If convicted, Faith Zaba could face a fine of $300, a one-year prison sentence, or both, according to the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act. In their statement, the CPJ noted that Zaba’s arrest is reminiscent of the case of Blessed Mhlanga, another journalist working for Alpha Media Holdings, who was detained for ten weeks before being arrested on incitement charges.
International concern over human rights and public freedoms in Zimbabwe has been escalating in recent years. A report published by the Zimbabwe Peace Project in 2024 revealed that the ruling party, ZANU-PF, was the leading perpetrator of human rights violations for four consecutive months. These violations include restrictions on the freedom of assembly and association protected under Articles 21 and 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), as well as intimidation of citizens and forcing attendance at political meetings.
Additionally, rights organizations criticized the approval of a new law by President Emmerson Mnangagwa, known as the Private Voluntary Organisations (PVO) Amendment Act 2025. This law established new state bodies to register and supervise private voluntary organizations and gave the government the authority to suspend their executive committees. According to rights organizations, this law would further restrict the right to freedom of association and exacerbate the crackdown on civil society organizations.
The latest report on Faith Zaba’s situation says that her pre-trial detention has been extended for another day, as a power cut delayed the court’s ruling on her bail.
