12-11-05,9:34am

JOHANNESBURG, 9 Dec 2005 (IRIN) - The Zimbabwean chapter of watchdog body, the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA), has condemned the government's move to withdraw the passport of the only remaining independent newspaper publisher.

Trevor Ncube, the Zimbabwean owner and publisher of the Standard and the Independent newspapers in Zimbabwe and the weekly Mail & Guardian in South Africa, had his passport impounded on Wednesday when he arrived in the country's second city, Bulawayo, from South Africa. Ncube frequently travels between the two countries.

'We see the action as an attack on the freedom of expression and movement - no one should be victimised by the government for holding a view contrary to that of the government,' said MISA chair Thomas Deve.

Speaking to IRIN from Harare, Ncube said he had been told that his name was on a government list of 17 prominent Zimbabweans whose passports would be confiscated if they travelled back to their homeland. The list apparently includes the name of a well-known activist.

Ncube said a recent set of constitutional amendments allowing the government to confiscate the passports of Zimbabweans 'who they think are undermining the government' had been used as the basis for withdrawing his passort.

'I suspect I am being punished for exercising my freedom of expression,' he added, pointing out that all his newspapers have been critical of the Zimbabwean regime.

Ncube said his lawyers were going to bring an urgent court application to interdict the impounding of his passport on the grounds that it was 'unlawful' to restrict a citizen's right of movement.

Attempts to reach the Zimbabwean police and the ministers of national security and home affairs were unsuccessful.