April 3, 2008
No. 75
The Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Foreign Affairs, today issued the following statement condemning the a arrest of foreign journalists and the intimidation of members of the Movement for Democratic Change by security forces:
"Canada is a strong proponent of the right to freedom of expres sion, including free media. This applies equally to Zimbabwean and international media present in the country.
"Once more, we call on the Government of Zimbabwe to respect human right s. Journalists in Zimbabwe should be allowed to report freely on the elections and the situation in the country. We also reiterate our call on the Zimbabwean Electoral Commission to release accurate results of the presidential election without further del ay."
Elections took place in Zimbabwe on March 29, 2008. While some results have been released, the results of the presidential election have been delayed.
Canadian consular officials and representatives from the Canadian Embassy are in contact with Canadian media representatives in Harare.
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Minister Bernier previously issued statements on the elections in Zimbabwe on March 31 and April 2. To view these statements, please visit:
http://w01.international.gc.ca/minpub/Publication.aspx?isRedirect=True&publication_id=386021&Language=E&docnumber=72
http://w01.international.gc.ca/minpub/Publication.aspx?isRedirect=True&publication_id=386023&Language=E&docnumber=73
For further information, media representatives may contact:
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
613-995-1874
www. international.gc.ca/index.aspx
