them filing an urgent court application seeking its nullification. Hopewell Chin’ono, local freelance journalist Chin’ono was denied accreditation to cover the 29 March 2008 elections by the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission on the MIC’s instruction. Media and Information Commission reportedly blacklisted several journalists and advised the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission to bar them from being accredited to cover the elections. In a letter sent to ZEC, his lawyers argued that the ZEC was deliberately impeding the full coverage of the elections through selective accreditation of journalists. 11 March 2008 Zimbabwean freelance journalist, Brian Hungwe High Court judge Justice Chitakunye dismissed the application by Brian Hungwe seeking nullification of his one-year ban from practicing journalism ruling that the urgency was “self-created.” His lawyer, Selby Hwacha immediately filed an appeal with the Supreme Court arguing that the judge had misdirected himself and dismissed the application without affording Hungwe the right to be heard. 12 March 2008 Several journalists Several journalists were 28 October 2008 barred from covering the SADC troika mediated talks. Security personnel’s manning the entrance to the premises of the rainbow towers hotel where the talks were being held turned away a number of freelance journalists who were not accredited with the 46