A trial in Zimbabwe of a freelance reporter working for The New York Times, a case viewed as a litmus test of press freedom in the southern African country, paused on Friday after three days that included testimony by a chief witness for the state, who could not produce the documents at the heart of the case.

The reporter, Jeffrey Moyo, 37, has been accused of fabricating accreditation documents for two Times journalists, Christina Goldbaum and João Silva, who flew from South Africa to the…