Calls Grow for Zimbabwe to Adopt UN Plan to Protect Journalists

Media and rights groups are urging Zimbabwe to adopt the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists, calling for stronger laws, rapid-response systems, and accountability measures (image source)

BULAWAYO — Media groups, human-rights advocates, and press freedom defenders renewed calls this week for the Zimbabwean government to domesticate and implement the United Nations Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists, arguing that formal adoption would strengthen legal protections, prevention measures, and accountability for crimes against reporters.

The renewed appeal emerged during a public policy dialogue held to mark the International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists. Participants highlighted a worrying pattern of threats to reporters across the country, including physical attacks, arrests, online harassment, and technology-enabled abuses such as doxing and deepfakes. Delegates argued that the digital transformation of media has amplified risks, particularly for women journalists who face gendered abuse in both the physical and virtual spheres.

Speakers at the dialogue urged the government to translate the UN framework into national law and institutional practice, providing clear mandates for prevention, protection, rapid response, and prosecution. Proposed measures include establishing hotlines and rapid-response mechanisms for threatened journalists, fast-track investigative protocols for attacks on media workers, official guidance on handling AI-generated disinformation, and mandatory training for law-enforcement officers on media rights. Panelists emphasised the need for multi-stakeholder collaboration.

“Protecting journalists requires coordinated action from media houses, the police, prosecutors and regulators,” a media rights advocate said, calling for regular joint trainings and information-sharing protocols. Civil-society groups also recommended public-education campaigns to increase awareness of journalists’ roles and to reduce social tolerance for attacks on press freedom.

Delegates pointed to practical gains from domestication: better victim support, quicker investigations, higher prosecution rates, and reduced impunity for perpetrators. They said these outcomes would not only protect reporters but also strengthen democratic accountability and public trust in institutions. International partners were urged to support capacity building, including technical assistance to set up protective mechanisms and resources for digital safety tools.

Speakers asked the government to consult widely with journalists and media organisations during the domestication process to ensure the resulting laws and policies reflect local realities and operational needs. They also called for transparent monitoring and independent evaluation to measure the effectiveness of any new framework.

The dialogue concluded with a roadmap that recommends specific short- and medium-term actions, including legislative review, institutional capacity assessments, and piloting rapid-response units in high-risk provinces. Advocates said these steps would signal political will and help close the impunity gap that continues to endanger journalists in Zimbabwe.

The push for domestication arrives amid renewed regional attention to press freedom and increasing demands that states protect journalists as a public good essential to governance, accountability, and human rights.