Murmures
Zimbabwe : Une bombe explose dans les locaux
d'une radio privée
août 2002 | | Média
Source : Reporters sans frontières
Bureau Afrique
Français
Une bombe a explosé dans les locaux de la radio privée Voice of The People tôt dans la matinée du 29 août 2002. Aucun blessé n'est à déplorer mais les locaux ont été fortement endommagés. "Nous vous demandons d'enquêter très sérieusement sur cette explosion, et de nous tenir informé des avancées de votre enquête", a déclaré Robert Ménard, secrétaire général de Reporters sans frontières, dans un courrier adressé à John Nkomo, ministre de l'Intérieur. "Les autorités doivent donner un signal fort pour montrer que de tels actes ne resteront pas impunis. La radio est un enjeu particulièrement important vu que la majeure partie de la population utilise ce média pour se tenir informée", a ajouté
M. Ménard.
Dans les premières heures de la matinée du 29 août, une bombe a explosé dans les locaux de la station Voice of The People. Seul un garde se trouvait sur place. Il a rapporté avoir été approché par trois hommes, dont un armé. Deux d'entre eux l'auraient retenu en otage pendant que le troisième jetait un objet dans les locaux. Ils ont ensuite pris la fuite. La bombe a détruit le toit et les équipements de la station de radio. Voice of The People emploie des journalistes locaux qui préparent des programmes en langues locales et les envoient par ordinateur aux Pays-Bas, où ils sont ensuite diffusés vers le Zimbabwe pour échapper aux lois répressives sur les médias. La station avait été à maintes reprises critiquée par le gouvernement pour contourner la loi, et accusée de faire de la propagande hostile au gouvernement à même de créer des divisions politiques. Ses locaux avaient été perquisitionnés par la police le 4 juillet avec saisie de cassettes et de dossiers.
Reporters sans frontières rappelle que dans la nuit du 27 au 28 janvier 2001, une bombe avait explosé dans les bâtiments abritant l'imprimerie du Daily News à Southerton, en banlieue de Harare. Personne n'avait été blessé mais le matériel d'impression du journal avait été sérieusement endommagé, rendant la parution du quotidien très difficile. L'attentat n'avait pas été revendiqué et l'enquête n'avait abouti à aucun résultat.
English
Reporters Without Borders has protested against the bombing early today of the Voice of The People, a private radio station in Harare which has often been criticized by the government. The station was badly damaged but no one was injured.
"We urge you to conduct a thorough investigation into this explosion and to inform us of its progress", Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Robert Ménard said in a letter to Interior Minister John Nkomo. "The authorities must give a clear signal that such actions will not go unpunished", the letter said. It noted that radio is especially important as it is the media used by most Zimbabweans to keep up with the news.
A guard was the only person at the radio station when the attack took place in the early hours of 29 August. He said he was approached by three men, one of them armed. Two of them restrained him while the third threw the explosive device into the building. The three then ran off. The blast destroyed the radio station's roof and its equipment.
The Voice of The People employs local journalists who prepare radio
programmes in local languages that are sent by computer to the Netherlands. From there they are broadcast back to Zimbabwe in order not to be subject to Zimbabwe's repressive news media laws. The government had often accused the station of by-passing the law and of spreading propaganda hostile to the government and likely to foment political divisions. On 4 July, police had searched the station, seizing files and cassettes.
The premises housing the printing press of the Daily News newspaper in Southerton, a suburb of Harare, was bombed on the night of 27-28 January 2001. No one was injured but the printing press was badly damaged, making it very difficult to bring out the daily. No one every claimed responsibility for the bombing and the investigation produced no results.
"We urge you to conduct a thorough investigation into this explosion and to inform us of its progress", Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Robert Ménard said in a letter to Interior Minister John Nkomo. "The authorities must give a clear signal that such actions will not go unpunished", the letter said. It noted that radio is especially important as it is the media used by most Zimbabweans to keep up with the news.
A guard was the only person at the radio station when the attack took place in the early hours of 29 August. He said he was approached by three men, one of them armed. Two of them restrained him while the third threw the explosive device into the building. The three then ran off. The blast destroyed the radio station's roof and its equipment.
The Voice of The People employs local journalists who prepare radio
programmes in local languages that are sent by computer to the Netherlands. From there they are broadcast back to Zimbabwe in order not to be subject to Zimbabwe's repressive news media laws. The government had often accused the station of by-passing the law and of spreading propaganda hostile to the government and likely to foment political divisions. On 4 July, police had searched the station, seizing files and cassettes.
The premises housing the printing press of the Daily News newspaper in Southerton, a suburb of Harare, was bombed on the night of 27-28 January 2001. No one was injured but the printing press was badly damaged, making it very difficult to bring out the daily. No one every claimed responsibility for the bombing and the investigation produced no results.
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