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The trial of two Zimbabwean journalists charged with publishing a false report about an alleged coup attempt against President Robert Mugabe, has been postponed until July, news reports said on Wednesday.
According to the reports the magistrate accepted a request by both the prosecution and defence to further delay the case to allow the Supreme Court to hear an application by the two men that a section of the Law and Order Maintenance Act, under which they were charged, is unconstitutional. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the case in March.
Mark Chavunduka, editor of the ‘Sunday Standard’ newspaper, and Ray Choto a journalist with the newspaper were arrested by the army after a story published in January 1999 which said soldiers had plotted to overthrow Mugabe’s government in December 1998. The journalists allege that they were tortured while in detention.
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions