Harare - The High Court in Zimbabwe was set on Thursday to hear an application by the country's only independent newspaper, the Daily News, seeking to overturn the authorities' closure of the journal and demanding the return of equipment seized by the police.
The authorities abruptly shut down the Daily News on Friday, a day after the Supreme Court ruled that the paper was operating illegally because it was not registered with the state-appointed media commission.
On Tuesday the police swooped on the paper's premises in Harare, sifting through every office and confiscating equipment, mainly computers.
On Thursday the police were still taking away equipment, without a warrant or court order authorising them to do so, according to the paper's legal advisor Gugulethu Moyo.
"In spite of the fact that there is a court hearing today, they have continued taking away our equipment," she said.
Human rights lawyers expressed concern that the police had gone ahead with the seizure of the equipment before the court could rule on the paper's application.
"The police have recklessly continued with their conduct unconcerned as to the outcome of the court proceedings," the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights said in a statement.
Although the urgent application to have the closure of the Daily News overturned was filed on Tuesday, it was only set down for hearing two days later, a move that also raised concern among the group of human rights lawyers.
"ZLHR is concerned that the case for the interdict has not been dealt with as urgently as the circumstances dictate," the lawyers said.
The ZHRL expressed fear that if the Zimbabwean government failed to ensure the police ceased its "arbitrary search and seizure" of equipment at the Daily News, and returned what has already been taken away, it risked pushing the country into anarchy.
"ZLHR is afraid that if the government fails to address the concerns as a matter of urgency, then there is a real danger of the country sliding into anarchy and lawlessness, which would in turn worsen the political and humanitarian crisis that Zimbabwe currently faces," the lawyers said.
More than 100 pro-democracy activists demonstrating against the closure of the Daily News, among other issues, were arrested in Harare on Wednesday, along with three photojournalists.
The protesters and journalists spent the night in police cells.
The move to shut down the Daily News by President Robert Mugabe's government has been condemned both in Zimbabwe and internationally, with many critics of the closure saying the authorities are trampling on freedom of expression.
The paper, which is fiercely critical of Mugabe, has, since it was launched four years ago, had its premises bombed twice and pro-government militants have barred the sale of the paper in some parts of the country. - Sapa-AFP