Journalists threatened in Nampula and Nacala Porto; reporter beaten in Chimoio – MISA Mozambique

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Journalists threatened in Nampula and Nacala Porto; reporter beaten in Chimoio – MISA Mozambique

3:59 CAT | 15 Oct 2018

Photo: Rádio-Encontro Moçambique Facebook

The director and assistant director of Rádio Encontro, Fathers Benvindo Tapua and Cantífula de Castro, have received anonymous death threats, allegedly because they had a part in Frelimo’s defeat in the city of Nampula, a statement from Media Institute of Southern Africa in the country, MISA Mocambique, states.

Rádio Encontro provided full coverage of the electoral process, with reporters at almost every polling station and released partial results of the local elections in Nampula throughout the night of 10/11 Octobe.

Radio Encontro Deputy Director Father Cantífula de Castro told MISA Moçambique that the situation “was worrying”, since this is not the first time that station’s professionals had been threatened.

The threats had been delivered by phone from undisclosed numbers.

Nacala Porto’s Rádio Watana

Journalists at Radio Watana, a Catholic Church radio station in the city of Nacala-Porto, Nampula province, have also been receiving anonymous phone calls accusing them of having contributed to Frelimo’s defeat in the October 10 local elections

One of the professionals at the station told MISA Mozambique that “since the 12th, after announcing the results, I have been receiving anonymous calls saying that Watana Radio journalists were to blame for Frelimo’s defeat and that we had better be careful”.

Like Radio Encontro, Radio Watana had journalists at all the polling stations, covering the voting process and reporting partial results in real time.

A imagem pode conter: 13 pessoas, pessoas a sorrir, pessoas em pÃ© e pessoas sentadas — *The Rádio Watana team with Nacala Porto bishop, on October 8 2018. File photo: Rádio Watana Facebook*

This is the second case reported to MISA in less than 24 hours. In response, MISA Moçambique says it regrets that political parties were trying to blame media professionals for their defeat

MISA Moçambique considers threats to media professionals a serious attack on press freedom, and calls on the judicial institutions to identify the originators of the threats and to hold them criminally responsible.

Miramar TV reporter assaulted

MISA Mozambique learned with great concern about the physical aggression of a reporter from television broadcaster TV Miramar perpetrated by Renamo members. The journalist and camera man was beaten last Friday in the city of Chimoio, Manica province, while trying to film images of the riot that was taking place at the headquarters of the Renamo party in Chimoio.

Renamo members had taken hostage their provincial and city of Chimoio delegates, accusing them of receiving money from Frelimo to facilitate their defeat.

MISA Moçambique considers that aggression against a media professional is a serious attack on press freedom, and calls on justice institutions to identify the perpetrators of the aggression and hold them criminally responsible.

MISA Mozambique may, after consultation with the victim, initiate a criminal suit aiming to hold the aggressors accountable.

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Source: Media Institute of Southern Africa Mozambique