Business Confederation of Mozambique condemns attack on Canal de Moçambique

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Business Confederation of Mozambique condemns attack on Canal de Moçambique

3:19 CAT | 25 Aug 2020

Photo: Twitter

Mozambique’s Confederation of Business Associations (CTA) has condemned the attack that destroyed the offices of the newspaper Canal de Moçambique on Sunday night, calling it “a barbaric and cowardly” assault on press freedom.

“The CTA vehemently repudiates this barbaric and cowardly act on a private company, an attack on press freedom in contradiction with the values of the rule of law defended by the Constitution,” a note from the CTA sent to the media on Monday reads.

CTA expressed its solidarity with Canal de Moçambique, calling on the authorities for a swift clarification of the case.

“The CTA urges the police and judicial authorities to work for the swift clarification and fair punishment of anyone involved in the planning and execution of this sordid attack.”

The office of the weekly Canal de Moçambique, located in the centre of Maputo, was destroyed when unidentified individuals set it on fire on Sunday night. The incident has been reported to the 6th Police Station in Maputo, in the expectation that the authorities will investigate the circumstances and identify the arsonists.

Canal de Moçambique is one of the country’s main weekly newspapers, and has spoken out on issues such as corruption and governance. Several personalities have visited the weekly newspaper’s facilities to express their solidarity.

The newspaper has already been the target of several lawsuits for alleged slander, and its executive director was recently summoned by the Attorney General’s Office to answer questions about texts commenting on security contracts between the government and oil multinationals operating in Cabo Delgado province in northern Mozambique.

Guente escaped an attempted abduction in Maputo at the end of last year, an episode which has yet to be clarified and which drew severe criticism from Mozambican and international entities, including the United States and the European Union.

A #CTA repudia, veementemente, o ataque contra instalações do #Canal_de_Moçambique um atentado contra a #liberdade_de_imprensa em contradição com os valores do #Estado_de_Direito. A CTA manifesta a sua #solidariedade para com o #jornal, pripriedade deuma #empresaprivada. pic.twitter.com/sblvi9wutg

— CTA Official (@CTA__Official) August 24, 2020