Zimbabwean editor arrested, released, case postponed

Plumtree - The trial of Bright Chibvuri, editor of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions' The Worker magazine, charged with practicing journalism without accreditation under the repressive Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), has been postponed to 29 August 2007.

Chibvuri was arrested in Plumtree on 3 March 2007, spent two nights in police custody and was released on 5 March, at which time he appeared before Plumtree magistrate Sheila Nazombe on charges of contravening Section 83 of AIPPA, which penalises the practice of journalism without accreditation.

The magistrate postponed the trial because the state had received his defence outline on short notice.

At the time of his arrest, Chibvuri had already applied for accreditation but had not received a response from the state-controlled Media and Information Commission (MIC). He has since been duly accredited.

Source: MISA