MATABELELAND , Zimbabwe ( CNN ) -- British broadcaster Sky News Wednesday criticized the jail sentences given to three of its drivers in Zimbabwe , where a court found them guilty of possessing broadcast equipment without authorization . Journalists read a newspaper in Zimbabwe , where freedom of the press is extremely limited . The men are all from Johannesburg , South Africa and were sentenced Tuesday , according to their attorney . `` We deplore the harsh sentence given to the three South African drivers , '' a Sky News spokesman , who did not give his name , said in London . `` We will be appealing and hope that the Zimbabwean justice system fully reappraises its decision . '' A court convicted Bernet Hasani Sono , Resemate Boy Chauke , and Simon Maodi on Monday in Matabeleland , the state-run newspaper Chronicle reported . The three men pleaded guilty to violating the Postal and Telecommunications Act but denied the truck and Sky News equipment were theirs , the state paper reported . The judge , John Masimba , said that despite denying ownership , possession of the equipment was still a violation of the act . Masimba said in the Chronicle that it would send the wrong signal if he did not punish the men . Sono and Maodi were additionally charged an extra six weeks in jail for violating a section of the Immigration Act after the two did n't show up to the Immigration authorities , their defense lawyer , Tawengwa Hara , said . The charge was minor but Hara said he would appeal the possession charge and the sentence . Zimbabwean police stopped the men during a routine check at a Mbalabala roadblock in the Matabeleland South province and found boxes containing the communication equipment . The men were unable to give a reason for possessing it and were arrested , Hara said . The police claimed the three defendants were journalists , but the men denied the claim . `` We are really outraged at six months in prison for just driving a car , '' said Leonard Vincent , director of the Africa desk at Paris-based Reporters Without Borders ( RSF ) . The men 's lawyer might be able to file an appeal or the South African government could try to intervene in the case , Vincent said , but it was unlikely the men could be freed before serving their full sentences . `` They are innocent victims of a very tense political situation , '' Vincent said . There have been numerous media reports from Zimbabwe made without the government 's authorization , prompting the arrests of several journalists . Press freedom groups say Zimbabwe has some of the world 's most restrictive laws for journalist accreditation . `` They face two years in prison if caught working without this precious document , '' RSF said in its 2008 annual report on the country , a reference to the accreditation . `` No foreign reporter can legally work in Zimbabwe without fear of arrest , being paraded like a trophy , and expelled after high-speed sentencing . '' Since the 2002 elections , the local and foreign media has deteriorated , said Tom Rhodes , the Africa program coordinator of the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists . Zimbabwe `` once had the highest literary rate in sub-Saharan Africa and a vibrant media system , '' Rhodes said , but since the elections , draconian press laws had increasingly limited the access to information . The accreditation law 's Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act blocked some foreign media and shut down several independent newspapers during the 2002 elections . This sparked more restrictions , which now requires journalists to have two forms of government approval , one from the Media Information Commission and the other from the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission . President Robert Mugabe amended the laws in January but authorities still use them to suppress critical press coverage , Rhodes said . In April , however , New York Times journalist Barry Bearak and British freelancer Stephen Bevan were arrested on charges of violating the laws but were later released . And toward the end of May , distributors of the Zimbabwean Sunday paper were beaten by unknown assailants and the truck carrying the papers was burned . CNN 's Melissa Gray contributed to this report .
Three Sky News drivers found guilty of possession of TV equipment . Police claim the defendants are journalists but the men deny the claim . Drivers sentenced to six months in prison with little chance of an early release . Zimbabwe accused of some of world 's most restrictive laws for journalists .