Chamisa: Blessed Mhlanga’s Arrest A Blow To Human Rights And Press Freedom
Former MDC and CCC president Nelson Chamisa has condemned the arrest of Alpha Media Holdings (AMH) senior journalist, Blessed “Dhara” Mhlanga, by police on Monday.
Mhlanga was remanded in custody on Tuesday by Harare Magistrate Farai Gwatima, pending a ruling on his bail application, which is set for Thursday.
The journalist faces two charges under Section 164 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act for allegedly transmitting data messages that incite violence.
Both charges relate to “public violence” and stem from interviews Mhlanga conducted with Blessed Geza, an outspoken liberation war veteran and ZANU PF central committee member, on January 27 and February 11, 2025.
Chamisa has described Mhlanga’s arrest as a flagrant violation of fundamental freedoms, human rights, press freedom, and democracy. He said:
The arrest of journalist Blessed Mhlanga is a flagrant violation of fundamental freedoms and human rights.
This arrest is an affront to civilisation, press freedom and democracy.
Journalism is the oxygen that thrives society. A free press is the lifeblood of a progressive and functional modern society.
Section 61 of Zimbabwe’s Constitution guarantees freedom of the media; this right must be upheld!
The first indicator that those in government have turned against the people is in the targeting of journalists as conveyors of information and news. Journalism as a profession must be protected.
