Mozambique Elections: Government denies ‘intention’ behind tear gas shooting at journalists – Watch

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Mozambique Elections: Government denies ‘intention’ behind tear gas shooting at journalists – Watch

12:28 CAT | 23 Oct 2024

Photo: O País

Mozambique’s government denied on Tuesday that there was an “intention” to fire tear gas at journalists during clashes between police and demonstrators in Maputo city, with at least three media professionals injured.

“What I can’t assume, because it’s not true, because I also witnessed it, is that there were shots fired at journalists,” said Filimão Suaze, spokesman for the Council of Ministers, speaking to journalists after another session of the body.

According to Suaze, the journalists were hit by tear gas bullets because they were positioned in a place where there were also demonstrators that the police wanted to disperse, which led to the interruption of presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane’s press conference.

Suaze added that the officers on duty, dispersing the “informal gatherings”, may not have been able to distinguish the journalists from the demonstrators at one point.

“I can’t say that there was an objective intention to hit any journalist with these objects,” said the spokesman, noting that the government will comment on the matter in due course and after analysing it.

“There will be a statement on this matter in due course when we have analysed to what extent journalists were hit, what the consequences were and to what extent it can be seen as an action to cut off your work, which it certainly wasn’t,” he promised.

The National Union of Journalists (SNJ) today repudiated the acts of violence against professionals that took place on Monday and also called for journalists to always act in compliance with personal safety measures.

“The SNJ’s government secretariat is working to ascertain the details of the incident,” the organisation said in a statement sent to the media.

On Monday, Mozambican police suppressed demonstrations called by presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane against alleged electoral fraud and the murder of two of his supporters, including his lawyer, Elvino Dias.

Mondlane’s supporters took the protests to various neighbourhoods, in the city centre and the suburbs, such as Polana Caniço, Xiquelene and Maxaquene, where the police fired shots and threw tear gas to disperse any gatherings and the demonstrators, in turn, responded by throwing stones and burning tyres.

At least 16 people were injured, five are still hospitalised, a hospital source said today and another 30 citizens were arrested in the Mozambican capital, according to the Mozambican Bar Association.

The international community condemned the police response to the demonstrations, and several calls for restraint were made from both sides, namely Portugal, the European Union, and the African Union.

The Mozambican capital returned to normality today, with transport running and traffic queues in the city’s main streets. Police reinforcements were visible after the violent clashes of the previous day.

Presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane today called for two more days of national “peaceful” stoppages and demonstrations in Mozambique starting on Thursday, the day before the results of the general elections are announced by the National Electoral Commission (CNE).