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Africa: Southern
Follow-up: More Zimbabwe newspaper arrests
2003-10-27
EFL - BBC from Worldwire
A total of five directors of Zimbabwe’s only privately-owned daily newspaper, the Daily News, have been arrested. On Saturday, the paper went on sale again for the first time in six weeks, after a court ruled the authorities were wrong to refuse it a licence. But police shut the newspaper’s offices and then detained Washington Sansole. On Monday, four more directors, including chief executive Samuel Nkomo, were arrested and charged with publishing without a licence. The newspaper’s legal adviser, Gugulethu Moyo, said Mr Nkomo, Rachel Kupara, Michel Mattinson and Brian Mutsau all presented themselves to the police. This is the latest setback for the Daily News, which is known for being highly critical of President Robert Mugabe and his bully boyz government. Ms Moyo had said the police were refusing to release Mr Washington until they were able to interview all the other eight company directors. "They are holding him on charges of publishing without a licence, and they are saying they will hold him until the other directors turn themselves in," she said. Senior assistant police commissioner Wayne Bvudzijena denied they were holding Mr Sansole until the others were apprehended, although he did say police were keen to interview them.
With truncheons...
The authorities said Friday’s court ruling did not give them permission to start publishing. The paper’s lawyers disagreed, saying the ruling rendered media regulations invalid. Under controversial legislation introduced last year, all newspapers must apply for a licence through the state’s Media and Information Commission (MIC). In September, police seized computer equipment and closed down the Daily News offices after a ruling by the supreme court that the paper was operating without a licence. The commission then denied the paper a licence, saying it had missed the deadline for applications and failed to supply the commission with free copies of the paper, as required under the law.
Lesser requirements: Parade magazine - Africa version, written explanation of all Dilbert cartoons — MIC didn’t understand them and easier crosswords.
In Friday’s ruling, the judge said the commission had not been properly constituted invalidating all its actions to date. The court has now ordered the MIC to issue a licence by 30 November.
Was the judge talking about the MIC or the entire government? Hope the judge owns body armor.
Posted by:Super Hose

#1  Every so often some judge throws a (temporary) monkey wrench into Uncle Bob's plans. Don't any war veterans want to be judges?
Posted by: John   2003-10-27 10:39:32 AM  

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