Ottawa – Carleton University will host renowned human rights advocate Beatrice Mtetwa for two on-campus events.

Ms. Mtetwa is a Zimbabwean human rights lawyer who has defended press freedom in Zimbabwe despite repeated reprisals against her. She just completed her term as president of the Law Society of Zimbabwe and has been recognized for her efforts by the Committee to Protect Journalists. She was recently named as the 2009 recipient of the Ludovic-Trarieux International Human Rights Prize, making her the first African since Nelson Mandela to be awarded this honour. The award will be presented in the Senate of France in October 2009.

On September 9, 2009, Ms. Mtetwa will deliver the keynote address to more than 4,000 Carleton University students at the New Student Convocation Ceremony. Later that day, she will also participate in a dynamic panel: The Road Back to Democracy and Human Rights in Zimbabwe: a Discussion, featuring three distinguished Carleton faculty members: Chris Waddell and Jeff Sallot from the School of Journalism and Communication and Blair Rutherford, director of the new Institute of African Studies. Presentations will be followed by a question and answer period. This event is open to media and the public.

“Beatrice Mtetwa’s courageous words and heroic actions are an inspiration to us all,” said Carleton President Roseann O’Reilly Runte. “We are pleased and proud that Carleton can provide not just its students, but also the Ottawa community another opportunity to hear, learn from and be inspired by someone like Ms. Mtetwa, who risks so much and faces such adversity in her fight to make the world a better place.”

Event Details:

New Student Convocation: Wednesday, September 9 at 9 a.m.
Field House, Carleton University. Media invited.

Panel Discussion: The Road Back to Democracy and Human Rights in Zimbabwe
Wednesday, September 9 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.
Bell Theatre, Minto Centre, Carleton University.
Open to media and to the public.

Beatrice Mtetwa - Biography
Beatrice Mtetwa is a prominent media and human rights lawyer. Throughout the decade, Mtetwa has defended numerous journalists against spurious charges brought by President Robert Mugabe’s government. She represented many of the journalists arrested during a massive crackdown on the press in the run up to the 2008 presidential election. Among her court victories was the successful defense of New York Times reporter Barry Bearak and British freelance journalist Steven Bevan, both of whom were arrested under an obsolete press accreditation law.

Mtetwa has defended journalists in a number of high-profile cases throughout her career. Her clients have included Mercedes Sayagues of South Africa’s Mail and Guardian, Andrew Meldrum of The Guardian of London, Angus Shaw of the Associated Press, Jan Raath of The Times of London and Brian Latham of Bloomberg. Mtetwa also worked on behalf of the Daily News, Zimbabwe’s sole independent daily before it was shuttered in September 2003.

Mtetwa has faced repeated reprisals. In May 2007, police beat Mtetwa and three colleagues with rubber clubs. “I am all right but angry,” she told one radio interviewer before resuming work. In 2003, she endured similar abuse after she was arrested on specious allegations of drunken driving. Mtetwa was taken to a police station, where she was held for three hours, beaten and choked before being released without charge.

***Biography courtesy of The Committee to Protect Journalists