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Newspaper editor convicted
Nyasha Matimbe, The Zimbabwe Guardian (London)
May 23, 2008

http://www.talkzimbabwe.com/news/117/ARTICLE/2500/2008-05-23.html

The editor of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Union's bi-weekly newspaper "The Worker", has been convicted of practicing journalism without accreditation and ordered to pay a fine or spend time in jail.

Bright Chibvuri was convicted of contravening section 83(1) of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (AIPPA), which criminalises practicing journalism without accreditation.

Chibvuri is appealing to the High Court against both the conviction and the sentence.

He earlier pleaded not guilty to the offence but was found guilty and convicted and ordered either to pay a fine of Z$2 billion (approx. US$6) or face 10 days of imprisonment.

Chibvuri's lawyer, Munyaradzi Nzarayapenga, in filing a petition said Chibvuri was a duly accredited journalist on the date of his arrest.

He argued that the state failed to distinguish accreditation from renewal of accreditation, and he also erred in convicting Chibvuri for not being in possession of a valid press card when the alleged offence was that he was not accredited (as opposed to not being in possession of the card).

Chibvuri was attending a Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions workshop in Plumtree when he was arrested.

It was argued that at the time of his arrest, Chibvuri had applied for accreditation but had not received a response from the Media and Information Commission (MIC).

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