She said her committee, which has about 20 members and was established in 1981, will maintain pressure on the government, adding that this is an "exceptionally brutal case."
The committee has formed loose coalitions with other human rights groups.
Most of the Nieman fellows did not know about Chavunduka's history before they came to Harvard a couple of weeks ago, said Lori Olszrewski, a reporter from the San Francisco Chronicle and another Nieman Fellow this semester.
But last week the fellows held a meeting to decide what to do.
"It is a matter of we don't have many other means to reach the government," Olszrewski said.
Will the international pressure have an effect? The answer is still unclear.
"I think the letters will certainly remind President Mugabe that he came into that office with a great sense of relief and enormous support from around the world," Kovach said.
He added that he hopes the letters will remind Mugabe that he came into office promising more free speech.
Read more in News
Students Hit the Campaign TrailRecommended Articles
-
Harvard Rallies Behind Accused Nieman FellowMark Chavunduka, a journalist studying as a Nieman Fellow at Harvard for the year, must return to his native Zimbabwe
-
Nieman Fellow Returns After Trial PostponedMark Chavunduka, the Nieman Fellow who returned to Zimbabwe for his scheduled Oct. 4 trial, is back at Harvard this
-
Nieman Curator Honored With Award for Excellence in JournalismBill Kovach, the curator of the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University for 11 years, received the Goldsmith Career Award for
-
Foreign Journalists Join Neiman FellowsTwelve international journalists who have reported on issues ranging from Mexican social concerns to the treatment of Saudi Arabian troops
-
Making a World Safe for JournalistsHarvard officials tapped one of the most respected names in American journalism to head the Nieman Foundation, reaffirming the organization's
-
Making a World Safe for JournalistsHarvard officials tapped one of the most respected names in American journalism to head the Nieman Foundation, reaffirming the organization's
