/ 24 January 1999

DETAINED NEWSMAN IN COURT

DETAINED managing director of the Zimbabwean Standard, Clive Wilson is to appear in the Harare high court on Monday. Wilson was arrested on Friday. Commonwealth human rights lawyers were denied access to Wilson at the weekend. “A 10-member delegation of human rights advocates from across the Commonwealth failed to gain access to Clive Wilson,” the Indian-based Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative said on Saturday. After the “terrifying accounts of torture” alleged by the newspaper’s editor, Mark Chavunduka, and senior reporter Ray Choto who were released on Thursday, the lawyers expressed concern for the 65-year-old Wilson. All three newsmen were arrested over an article that appeared two weeks ago about an alleged foiled coup plot. Meanwhile, Home Affairs Minister Dumiso Dabengwa vowed on Friday to stiffen security laws to ensure political stability.