News / National
ZUJ welcomes ruling on criminal defamation case
07 Feb 2016 at 05:59hrs | Views
The Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) has welcome the abolition by the Constitutional Court of Section 96 of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act which was used to detain and punish journalists for criminal defamation.
"It is declared that as inconsistent with Section 20(1) of the former Constitution in judgement of this honourable Court in Former Standard Editor, Nevanji Madanhire and Another Versus the Attorney-General CCZ 2/15, Section 96th Schedule to the Constitution of Zimbabwe."Accordingly, for the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act is void and not part of the said enactment, "the court ruled.
This means that journalists will now conduct their professional business with less fear of being arrested because Section 96 of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act is a dead law. The court ruled that suing for defamation damages at the civil court would adequately protect the masses from defamation.
ZUJ Secretary General Foster Dongozi said: "We have always said and insisted that the use of criminal defamation is an old fashioned and primitive way of resolving conflict. In the same vein we commit ourselves to ensuring that we will conduct ourselves professionally and ethically to retain the confidence and trust of those that consume media products."
"It is declared that as inconsistent with Section 20(1) of the former Constitution in judgement of this honourable Court in Former Standard Editor, Nevanji Madanhire and Another Versus the Attorney-General CCZ 2/15, Section 96th Schedule to the Constitution of Zimbabwe."Accordingly, for the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act is void and not part of the said enactment, "the court ruled.
This means that journalists will now conduct their professional business with less fear of being arrested because Section 96 of the Criminal Law Codification and Reform Act is a dead law. The court ruled that suing for defamation damages at the civil court would adequately protect the masses from defamation.
ZUJ Secretary General Foster Dongozi said: "We have always said and insisted that the use of criminal defamation is an old fashioned and primitive way of resolving conflict. In the same vein we commit ourselves to ensuring that we will conduct ourselves professionally and ethically to retain the confidence and trust of those that consume media products."
Source - Byo24News
