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of the African Virtual University-Indiana University of Pennsylvania Partnership.

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Zimbabwe journalist and  AVU student severely attacked

Zimbabwe

A Zimbabwean journalist for the independent Standard newspaper  was severely attacked  and robbed  while covering  the country’s opposition party  in elections.

The journalist, Savious-Parker Kwinika, is also  a student in the 2004 AVU-IUP Certificate in Journalism courses.

Kwinika was  robbed of his belongings worth over $1.5 million (US$300). Police confirmed the incident on Friday morning.

Kwinika, who was coming from covering a Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) star rally in Lupane Business Centre was attacked by suspected government intelligence agents, the Central Intelligence Organization (CIO) and Police Internal Security Investigation  detectives.

They accused him of extensively covering the opposition party in elections.

After the attack, the award winning Standard journalist was then robbed of his mobile phone, jacket, wrist watch, $135 000 (US$30) cash, seven office keys, notebook, press card, ball point, Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) t-shirt and several Standard business cards in his wallet.

Kwinika said: ” I don't even know as to why exactly these bastards in black suits have attacked me in such a gang style move. What I vividly I remember before getting unconscious was that they were accusing me of frequently covering the Lupane by-election campaigns.”

“I think their intention was to kill me because when they left me unconscious, they thought I was dead. Since I am the only journalist from the independent media extensively covering the by-election from the heart of Lupane, I would like to believe that by assaulting me and confiscating all my gadgets these operating agents would want to instill fear in independent journalists so that they stop unearthing the ruling party's dirty tactics of terror.”

He added: "In spite of all these assaults, physical harm to my body, intimidation and threats, I will not bow down to their pressure but continue reporting the truth. To make matters worse, I will not leave Bulawayo as they would like to think. This has in actual fact strengthened my reporting capabilities."

Kwinika is nursing injuries at his North End home in Bulawayo. He said he would continue covering stories highlighting the gross poverty in Lupane and surrounding areas as well as poor development and human rights abuses.

Earlier on Kwinika was involved in a heated argument with the Lupane police personnel manning a road block along Bulawayo-Victoria Falls, who had confiscated his camera and those of MDC at a gun point. The police manning the road block confiscated Kwinika's camera but he  did not give up as he challenged the police officers to return his cameras in which they complied.

Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) Vice President, Njabulo Ncube, condemned the attack on Kwinika saying these were works of the enemies of press freedom in the country-Zimbabwe.

"I deplore the unwarranted assault of The Standard journalist on Wednesday evening while coming from Lupane constituency."It is an assault on press freedom. I gather the people that assaulted Kwinika were state security agents, it is true it goes to show how intolerant the state has become," said Ncube.