Zimbabwe - August 2022

Two journalists became the first to be charged under one of the controversial cybersecurity provisions of Zimbabwe’s Data Protection Act, eight months after its enactment in December 2021. The provision amends the country’s criminal law, so as to make it illegal to transmit what it vaguely terms “false data messages intending to cause harm” and imposes heavy penalties on offenders (a prison sentence of up to five years and/or a fine of up to USD194). The prosecution of the journalists is reported to relate to their investigation of the business activities of politically connected individuals and, according to civil society, confirms their early concerns that the legislation would be used to infringe freedom of expression and the media. The development takes place against a backdrop of escalating government harassment of the media and in 2022, Zimbabwe fell seven places to 137th in the Press Freedom Index, which is published annually by the non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders. 

Sources: Data Protection Act 2021, Media Institute for Southern Africa Zimbabwe (1), Media Institute for Southern Africa Zimbabwe (2), Inter Press Service, Committee to Protect Journalists