Nqobizwe Thebe
Amnesty International has condemned the continued detention of Zimbabwe Independent editor Faith Zaba, describing her arrest as a blatant attack on press freedom and a misuse of the country’s criminal justice system.
Zaba, a senior editor at Alpha Media Holdings (AMH), was arrested on July 1 over allegations of “undermining the authority of or insulting the President” following the publication of a satirical piece in the weekly’s Muckraker column.
Her detention entered its third day on Wednesday after a Harare magistrate postponed the bail ruling, citing power outages at the courthouse which made it impossible to prepare or deliver the decision.
“The arbitrary detention of a journalist is an assault on freedom of expression,” said Khanyo Farisè, Amnesty International’s Senior Researcher for East and Southern Africa. “Amnesty International strongly condemns the arrest and detention of Faith Zaba for exercising her constitutionally guaranteed rights as a journalist. This is an assault on the right to freedom of expression and press freedom.”
She added: “Zimbabwean authorities must immediately release Faith Zaba and drop all charges against her. Journalism is not a crime. Authorities must allow journalists to carry out their work freely, safely, and without fear of harassment, intimidation or reprisals.”
Farisè also referenced the earlier arrest of Zaba’s colleague, Blessed Mhlanga—AMH’s Head of News at HStv—who spent 72 days in pretrial detention earlier this year. Amnesty described both cases as part of a broader pattern of abuse aimed at silencing independent media voices in Zimbabwe.
“These tactics pose a significant threat to media freedom and the public’s right to information,” Farisè warned. “Authorities must end the growing restrictions on civic space in Zimbabwe and ensure all individuals can freely exercise their human rights.”
Zaba’s lawyer, Chris Mhike, told reporters the bail application had been initially postponed to allow the court to review her medical records, citing her ill health. However, prosecutors opposed her release, arguing that the records were not a sufficient basis for bail.
The case has sparked outrage among press freedom advocates both locally and internationally, raising fresh concerns about the deteriorating conditions for journalists in Zimbabwe ahead of the 2028 elections.
