Cablegate: Media Report Police Release Journalist; Harare

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

021334Z May 00

UNCLASSIFIED PTO4257

PAGE 01 HARARE 02339 021329Z
ACTION AF-00

INFO LOG-00 AID-00 AMAD-01 A-00 CIAE-00 DODE-00 SRPP-00
EB-00 EUR-01 UTED-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00
LAB-01 L-00 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 OIC-02 OPIC-01 PA-00
PRS-00 P-00 SP-00 SS-00 STR-00 TRSE-00 USIE-00
IIP-00 PRM-01 DRL-02 G-00 SAS-00 /010W
------------------521C42 021330Z /38
FM AMEMBASSY HARARE
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5915
INFO AMEMBASSY PRETORIA
AMEMBASSY LUSAKA
AMEMBASSY WINDHOEK
AMEMBASSY GABORONE
AMEMBASSY LILONGWE
AMEMBASSY LONDON

UNCLAS HARARE 002339

SIPDIS

AF/PD FOR PATIN, AF/S FOR GURNEY, AF/P, INR/R/MR

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM ZI
SUBJECT: MEDIA REPORT POLICE RELEASE JOURNALIST; HARARE

ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTOGRAPHER, OBED ZILWA OF SOUTH AFRICA,
WHO WAS ARRESTED LAST WEEK ON SUSPICION THAT HE WAS
INVOLVED IN THE BOMBING AT THE INDEPENDENT DAILY NEWS
UNCLASSIFIED

PAGE 02 HARARE 02339 021329Z
OFFICES ON APRIL 22, HAS BEEN RELEASED WITHOUT ANY CHARGES
BEING PLACED AGAINST HIM. HE IS EXPECTED TO RETURN TO
SOUTH AFRICA TODAY. ZILWA, WHO WAS AMONG THE FIRST
JOURNALISTS ON THE SCENE OF THE BLAST, WAS ARRESTED AT THE
HARARE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT AS HE WAS LEAVING THE COUNTRY
LAST WEDNESDAY. THE REASON FOR HIS ARREST, ACCORDING TO A
POLICE STATEMENT, WAS THAT HIS CAR MATCHED THE DESCRIPTIONS
OF A PERSON AND VEHICLE SEEN MOMENTS BEFORE THE BLAST AT
TRUSTEE HOUSE IN HARARE.

MCDONALD

UNCLASSIFIED

>

© Scoop Media