Banned Zimbabwe Journalist Appeals to Supreme Court

A banned Zimbabwe journalist has taken his case to the country’s Supreme Court in the capital Harare after a lower court refused to hear his appeal against the ban.

Lawyers representing Brian Hungwe said Thurday they were filing an urgent Supreme Court application after a High Court judge, Alphas Chitakunye, refused to hear the journalist’s appeal on grounds that the matter was not urgent.

Hungwe wants the courts to overturn the ban imposed on him by the government-appointed Media and Information Commission (MIC) last month, which makes it impossible for him to practice his vocation.

The MIC accused the former South African Broadcasting Corporation correspondent of practicing journalism without accreditation as required by Zimbabwe’s media law.

It is an offense punishable by a two-year jail term under Zimbabwe’s tough media laws for journalists to practice without first seeking permission from the MIC, according to the law.

Source African Press Agency

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