2 British journalists expelled from Zimbabwe

Zimbabwean authorities have expelled two journalists working for the British television channel Sky News on Thursday for entering the country without permission.

“They have violated our laws and we sent them back. You do not enter the country without accreditation,” a spokesperson for the Zimbabwean government, George Charamba told AFP.

According to the Media Institute of Southern Africa, the journalist Alex Crawford, Sky News correspondent in Africa, and a cameraman, whose identity was not disclosed, were arrested on Wednesday in a hotel in Harare.

The two journalists, who were traveling with British passports, were detained on Wednesday night at the Harare International Airport before they were expelled on Thursday morning.

According to Zimbabwean law, foreign journalists must be accredited before traveling to the country to work.

Both journalists were in Zimbabwe to cover the several demonstrations and strikes recently organized to protest against the country’s economic crisis.