By A Correspondent- The arrested journalists who were covering an opposition MDC Alliance protest outside the Zimbabwe Election Commission (ZEC) provincial offices in Harare

They are currently being held at Harare Central police station.

All the arrested journalists, Thomas Madhuku, Nyadzashe Ndoro, Leo Munhede, Marshall Bwanya, Gaddaffi Wells, Adrian Maratu, Tongai Mwenje, Charles Dzimwasha, Tinashe Muringayi and Robert Tapfumaneyi work for local media organizations. 

According to International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) the move to detain journalists is blatant intimidation and harassment by the state.

The General Secretary of the IFJ said: “There seems to be no basis for the arrest of our colleagues and their arbitrary detention is a clear attempt to prevent them from doing their job and informing the public. This is blatant intimidation and harassment against journalists who are simply doing their job.”

Zimbabwe Union of Journalists said in a statement that “[we] find such police action highly unacceptable and were clearly designed at foiling the journalists’ coverage of the ZEC proceedings and thus stifling truth, which is fundamental to national development.”