Mozambique: Activist detained for alleged incitement to violence released
Image: DW
The Mozambican chapter of the regional press freedom body MISA (Media Institute of Southern Africa) has demanded that action be taken against managers of a supermarket in the southern province of Inhambane who assaulted a crew of the independent television station, STV.
According to a Friday statement from MISA, STV reporter Hugo Firmino and his cameraman Felix Jamisse were assaulted on Wednesday afternoon by managers of the Taurs Supermarket, in the tourist area of Guinjata, in the Inhambane district of Jangamo.
Firmino and Jamisse went to the supermarket to investigate allegations of violations of the rights of its work force. The management was accused of failing to pay the agreed wages, of arbitrarily sacking employees, and of creating a bad working environment.
But, according to the reporters and to the Inhambane provincial MISA nucleus, when contacted by the STV team, the supermarket manager, Xen Deppen, not only prevented the crew from shooting film, but assaulted them, and seized the STV camera.
The camera was only recovered thanks to intervention by the police, thirty minutes later. After the police intervened, the manager allowed STV to film, but not everything the crew wanted.
MISA-Mozambique, says the statement, “strongly condemns this act. Assaulting journalists and seizing their working equipment is a serious attack on the press freedom that is enshrined in the Mozambican law and constitution”.
No entity should, under any circumstances at all, interfere in the work of journalists, or resort to violence against journalists, declares MISA.
MISA announced that it plans to take action to hold Xen Deppen criminally responsible for his acts. It will also press the Labour Ministry to investigate the allegations made by the supermarket workers, and take exemplary measures against the company.
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