The High Court has quashed criminal charges against Zimbabwe Independent editor Faith Zaba and her employer, Alpha Media Holdings (AMH), in a major win for press freedom.
Zaba, 56, was arrested in 2025 over a satirical Muckraker column headlined “When You Become a Mafia State”, which was critical of President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
In a ruling handed down at the Harare High Court on Monday, Justice Emilia Muchawa set aside a magistrate’s decision that had kept Zaba and AMH on remand.
“The application to quash the charges against the accused succeeds,” Muchawa ruled, ordering that the charges be quashed and the accused removed from remand. She said full reasons would follow.
Prosecutors had accused Zaba of undermining the authority of the President, claiming the article contained falsehoods intended to incite hostility towards the government.
The ruling ends months of legal uncertainty for Zaba, who spent several days in custody before being granted bail. She had remained on trial jointly with AMH until the High Court’s intervention.
Her arrest came amid growing alarm from media and rights groups over what they describe as a widening crackdown on journalists, opposition figures and civil society activists.
Around the same time, fellow AMH journalist Blessed Mhlanga was also arrested after publishing a video of war veteran Blessed Geza calling for Mnangagwa’s resignation.
More: ZimLive
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