Government reaffirms commitment to press freedom – Mozambique

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Government reaffirms commitment to press freedom – Mozambique

3:03 CAT | 04 May 2017

Mozambican Foreign Minister Oldmiro Baloi on Wednesday reaffirmed the government’s commitment to work towards guaranteeing an environment in which journalists can work in freedom and independence.

Speaking at a ceremony in Maputo to mark World Press Freedom Day, Baloi stressed that the Mozambican state recognizes the indispensable role that the mass media play in development and in deepening democracy.

The relationship between democracy and press freedom, he added, does not imply simply the guarantee of freedom of expression and the right to information, but also the responsibility of the media to publish material ethically and showing respect for society and its values.

Baloi noted that Article 48 of the Mozambican constitution recognizes the right of all citizens to freedom of expression and of the press, and of the right to information. But in addition, he said, citizens need to have sufficiently critical senses in order to make this information an important resource in the exercise of citizenship.

He pointed out that the Constitution also guarantees the impartiality of the public sector media and the independence of the journalists working in the public sector towards the government and all other political powers. The Constitution also outlaws censorship. “In fact, in Mozambique censorship is a crime”, said Baloi.

The government’s vision, he said, is that the media should play a pro-active role in attaining the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations. Achieving those goals, could not be achieved piecemeal, but only through “an overall approach in which the mass media has a crucial role to play”.

In this context, Baloi added, the government regards the media as a fundamental partner in development. It wants to see a free, independent and pluralist media, and is open to providing the media with information on the main problems facing the country.

For his part, the chairperson of the Mozambican chapter of the regional press freedom body MISA (Media Institute of Southern Africa), Fernando Goncalves, stressed that there remain several challenges for freedom of the press, since journalists are continuing to work in a hostile environment characterized by assassinations and harassment.

He was concerned at the threats and detentions that journalists had faced, as well as examples of censorship, despite the constitutional guarantee. Goncalves warned that “there is no democracy without press freedom”.

He said that the war with the rebel movement Renamo had created an environment that was hostile to press freedom, and he praised the government’s efforts to restore effective peace to Mozambique.

This year, Mozambique is celebrating World Press Freedom Day under the motto “Critical minds for critical moments: the role of the media in the development of a peaceful, just and inclusive society”.

Source: AIM