Bill would restrict public access to official information

Announced on October 22 and called the "General Law Amendment Bill," the proposed law's sole aim seems to be to place additional obstacles in the way of access to information and thereby hamper the work of the media even more.

 "Drafted by members of the coalition government's ZANU-PF wing, led by President Robert Mugabe, this bill would just aggravate the already precarious situation for Zimbabwe's media," Reporters Without Borders secretary-general Jean-Franois Julliard said.  "It is a political manoeuvre designed to prevent any critical examination of the government's actions."