Mozambique: Judge sets February 7 for ‘Valter Danone case’ sentencing – Watch

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Mozambique: Judge sets February 7 for ‘Valter Danone case’ sentencing – Watch

9:08 CAT | 29 Dec 2022

The experts pointed out that the car was not moving in the video, explaining the possible techniques applied in the editing to create the effect. [ Screen grab: TVM]

The Judicial Court of the city of Chimoio, in central Mozambique, has set the reading of the sentence in the case of the family of the three children who made a satirical video about the Mozambican police for February 7.

“[The] 7th of February [will be] for the reading of the sentence,” said Lúcio Júlio, judge of the case.

At issue is a video circulating on social networks in which two of the children pose as police officers to satisfy their hunger, scaring a driver (played by another minor) with invented fines, only to extort two liquid yoghurts from him in the end.

The video was interpreted by the public prosecutor as a “vulgarisation” of the traffic police and an “offence and trivialisation” of the Mozambican state, according to a note sent out at the time by the national union of journalists (SNJ), which considers the accusation “absurd”.

The trial, which resumed on Tuesday after an interruption in November, was marked by the hearing of the producer, as well as image experts who assessed the video made by the children to verify whether one of them was actually driving the vehicle.

The experts pointed out that the car was not moving in the video, explaining the possible techniques applied in the editing to create the effect.

Despite the experts’ explanations, the Public Prosecutor maintained his position, claiming that there may have been exposure of minors to danger.

“What is it that assures us, firsl, that – by carelessness or lack of skill – the minor could not trigger some mechanism and the car would move?” wondered Remige Guiamba, representing the Public Prosecutor’s Office (PGR).

Raquel Jorge, a journalist from Radio Mozambique, and a grandson in her care (one of the children featured in the video), who signs up on social networks as Valter Danone, are listed in a lawsuit filed by the Manica provincial prosecutor’s office.

Two adult children of Raquel Jorge are also answering in court: the one who filmed the scenes and Valter’s mother (but who does not have custody of the child).

Valter Danone, the journalist’s grandson, has channels on the social networks Instagram and YouTube where he humorously recreates issues of Mozambican daily life, and the video in question is not on the channels, but is being disseminated on the social network Facebook.

Watch the TVM report.