PMSA condemns confiscation of publisher's passport

Under the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, Zimbabwe has arrested journalists and closed down newspapers critical of state policies, which PMSA believes further undermines the principles of freedom of expression and freedom of the press in the country.

PMSA president Connie Molusi said this was a flagrant assault on the media and freedom of expression and implored the Zimbabwean government to revoke the action that virtually puts Ncube under house arrest without due process.

Ncube is also the publisher of Zimbabwe's Standard and the Zimbabwe Independent, which have been critical of the Zimbabwean government policies, and a prominent member of Print Media SA, a non-profit organisation representing the collective interest of the majority of newspaper and magazine publishers in South Africa. He is a past president of PMSA and until November 2005 was a board member of the World Association of Newspapers.