Vendors in Zimbabwe selling independent newspapers, meaning papers unsympathetic to President Robert Mugabe, are being harassed by thugs suspected of being members of his party.
The distributor for titles such as Newsday, The Standard and The Zimbabwe Independent says the papers' buyers are also being approached by supporters of Zanu-PF and state agents.
A week ago, in Harare, copies of independent papers were torn up by men who warned vendors never to display them again.
Four days earlier, vendors selling copies of Newsday were reportedly assaulted by youths who accused the paper of being anti-government.
Nick Ncube, operations manager for the distributor, MUNN Marketing, said several vendors are now unwilling to sell the papers because they fear for their lives.
The harassment is not new. I reported last month that soldiers prevented vendors from selling copies of the The Mirror, an independent weekly paper in Masvingo province.
Source: AllAfrica.com
