Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai said on Thursday that foreign journalists are free to report in the troubled southern African nation where many have previously been banned and others arrested and harassed.
The veteran opposition leader who formed a coalition with longtime President Robert Mugabe in February said continuing violations of the power-sharing deal threaten the unity government, but insisted that progress has been made.
Tsvangirai deplored recent arrests of independent journalists and lawyers and called for a "new culture of respect".
He said a new state media commission would be formed to "facilitate the opening up of media space".
Stringent licensing of local and foreign journalists that effectively banned most foreign news organisations from entering the country had ceased to apply under the coalition agreement, he said.
Journalists and media organisations no longer are legally obliged to apply for accreditation until a new media commission is in place, Tsvangirai said.
Source: Mail & Guardian
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