Zimbabwe police block newspaper

Daily News has been a critic of the government

Riot police have occupied the offices of Zimbabwe's only privately-owned daily newspaper, hours after a court ruled it could resume publication.

A lawyer for the Daily News told the BBC that police had ordered home staff who were trying to produce the paper's first edition since October.

Earlier, a judge in Bulawayo ruled the paper had the right to publish, despite its closure under tough new media laws.

Zimbabwe's information minister said that judgement had no legal force.

Jonathan Moyo called the ruling "outrageously political, unacceptable".

He said in the Herald newspaper that an appeal had already been lodged with the Supreme Court.

The Daily News, a strong critic of President Robert Mugabe's government, was shut down by police three months ago, under tough media laws passed after Mr Mugabe's controversial re-election last year.

But a Bulawayo administrative court upheld a previous ruling that a government-appointed commission should have awarded the newspaper a licence.

In court on Friday in Zimbabwe's second city, Judge Selo Nare revealed the contents of a threatening letter sent to him signed by "War liberators and sons and daughters of the soil".

The letter was quoted as saying: "Any such bad judgement by you will result in serious suffering by you personally and members of your family".

Lawyers for the paper say the judge has now asked for police protection.

Media monopoly

Since opening in 1999, the Daily News has seen its editors arrested on several occasions and its printing press was bombed in January 2001 shortly after Mr Moyo said it was "a threat to national security which had to be silenced."

DAILY NEWS TIMELINE OF WOE 1999: Launched 2000-2001: Editors, journalists arrested several times Jan 2001: Printing press bombed 2002: New media law passed July 2003: Appeals against media law Sep 2003: Closed 24 Oct 2003: Court rules it should be licensed 25 October: Back on the streets, closed again 19 Dec 2003: Court ruling upheld

The paper was closed by armed police for not registering under the new media laws.

The Daily News had challenged the laws on constitutional grounds.

After its closure, the Daily News applied for a licence, which was rejected by the Media Commission.

On 24 October, Mr Majuru ruled that the paper should be licensed by 30 November and should be allowed to publish in the meantime.

It returned to the streets on 25 October but was shut down again shortly afterwards.

The government controls Zimbabwe's two other daily newspapers and all television and radio stations.