HARARE — A Zimbabwean newspaper banned nearly six years ago has won a new licence to resume printing, documents showed Friday, as the BBC and CNN were allowed back into the country after restrictions were eased.The Daily News, a popular newspaper renowned for it willingness to criticise President Robert Mugabe, survived bombings of its premises and arrests of its journalists until authorities finally shut it down in September 2003.
Its publishers, Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe, have repeatedly tried to challenge the ban without success.
But the head of a special government committee set up to look into The Daily News case has now written a letter to the company informing that they can resume publishing.
"This letter serves to advise you that your application for registration as a mass media provider was successful," read the brief letter by Edward Dube, head of the committee, dated July 30, 2009.
Mugabe's government introduced stringent media laws in 2002 which essentially banned foreign reporters and privately-owned daily newspapers.
Under the unity deal that brought together Mugabe with his erstwhile rival Morgan Tsvangirai as prime minister in February, the government is meant to commit to greater media freedom.
A few steps have been taken. In addition to The Daily News, two new private dailies are in the works for Zimbabwe.
Local journalists last month won a court case that found reporters no longer need government accreditation to perform their work.
The BBC said Thursday that Zimbabwe had lifted its ban on the broadcaster, which has had no official presence in the country since 2001, when its Harare correspondent was told to leave the country.
CNN also said Zimbabwe agreed last week to allow it to resume working in the country.
But media watchdogs and journalists' groups were quick to note that journalists are still being prosecuted.
* AFP
