A Zimbabwe court on Friday postponed until later this year a ruling in the case in which four directors of the popular independent Daily News are charged with illegally publishing the newspaper.
Directors Samuel Nkomo, Brian Mutsau, Rachel Kupara and Michael Mattinson were ordered to return to court on September 20, when the magistrate is expected to rule on whether or not to dismiss the case against them.
It was the second time this month a ruling was postponed.
The four were charged last year with publishing the country’s most popular daily without permission from the official media commission, as required under strict press laws.
The Daily News has only managed to publish a few editions since its forced closure by armed police in September last year.
Zimbabwe’s press laws, introduced shortly after President Robert Mugabe won a second term in office in 2002, have been condemned by rights activists as draconian. — Sapa-AFP