Zimbabwe: GUARDIAN CORRESPONDENT TO CHALLENGE DEPORTATION ORDER

ALERT UPDATE
>
> 16 JULY 2002
>
> GUARDIAN CORRESPONDENT TO CHALLENGE DEPORTATION ORDER
>
> Andrew Meldrum, a correspondent for the Guardian, who was served with a
> deportation order yesterday (15 July) has appealed against the order
> directly to the Minister of Home Affairs John Nkomo and is also to appeal
to
> the High Court today (16 July).
>
> Immigration officers served Meldrum with the order immediately after his
> acquittal by Harare Magistrate, Godfrey Mucheyo on allegations of having
> published falsehoods. Meldrum said that the Minister of Home Affairs was
> courteous but gave no indication he was going to reverse his decision
> concerning Meldrum's residency visa. It is also reported that Nkomo did
not
> even explain why the journalists is being deported.
> "I am challenging then legality and fairness of the order to throw me out
of
> the country soon after I had won a landmark case against the government,"
> Meldrum told the media.
>
> Meldrum said that the decision to deport him was another way of preventing
> him from doing his job.
> "The Mugabe government does not want to see me, or any other journalist.
> Holding the government accountable for the good of all people," said
> Meldrum.
>
> His lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa of Kantor and Immerman described the laws under
> which Meldrum was being charged as absurd and the deportation order as
> harassment.
> "In this country you get acquitted and then deported and the government
> still has the last laugh," she said.
>
> Background
>
> Check alerts of 29 April, 1,2, 3 and 8 May 13, 15 June 2002.
>
> END