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Journalist trial postponed to August
MISA-Zimbabwe
July 09, 2007

A Harare Magistrate has postponed once more the trial of Gift Phiri to 27 August 2007.

Phiri, the chief reporter of The Zimbabwean who is facing charges of practicing journalism without accreditation was supposed to have gone on trial on 9 July 2007. However Magistrate Stanley Ncube pushed the trial to August after the defence team of Harrison Nkomo of Mtetwa and Nyambirai Legal Practitioners and Wilbert Mandinde of MISA-Zimbabwe objected to proceeding to trial without having been furnished with the Warned and Cautioned Statement recorded by Phiri when he was arrested as well as witness statements. Further, defence demanded to be furnished with the findings of investigations by the state into allegations that Phiri was overdetained and was tortured whilst in police custody before proceeding to trial.

Phiri is charged with contravening of Section 79 (1) of the restrictive Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA) which relates to practicing journalism without accreditation.

Phiri is on bail of Z$100,000 (US$400) with stringent reporting conditions.

Phiri was arrested at Sunningdale Shopping Center in Harare on 1 April 2007 and spent four nights in police cells. He was briefly detained at Sunningdale Police Post before being transferred to Harare Central Police Station where he was brutally assaulted by the police.

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