Mozambique: Police harass journalist in Inhambane

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Mozambique: Police harass journalist in Inhambane

3:49 CAT | 01 Jul 2022

File photo: DW

The Mozambican chapter of the regional press freedom body MISA (Media Institute of Southern Africa) has protested at police harassment of journalist Antonio Zacarias, who works for the weekly paper “Magazine Independente”.

The incident occurred on Wednesday morning in the city of Maxixe, in the southern province of Inhambane, where Zacarias was covering a conflict between the municipal police and informal vendors on the outskirts of the Tsuwula market. The police were attempting to confiscate the goods of the informal sellers, on the grounds that their activities were illegal.

When the police realised that a journalist was present, three armed members of the regular police force (PRM) approached Zacarias, and demanded that he hand over his mobile phone which he had used to photograph the clash. He refused, and showed the police his professional identity card – which the three policemen immediately confiscated.

Zacarias recovered his identity card two hours later, in the Maxixe Municipal Police Command, thanks to the intervention of the local police commander, Gervasio Mafumissa, who apologised for the behaviour of his subordinates.

MISA-Mozambique issued a statement “condemning this and any act of intimidation and attempted aggression against journalists”. It also condemned police attempts to confiscate journalists’ documents and equipment.

MISA pointed out that free access by journalists to events of public interest is protected by the Mozambican constitution, by the country’s press law, and by the law on freedom of information.

The apology by the Maxixe police commander, MISA added, “is a recognition of the illegality committed by the police agents”. But it was not enough, and MISA called for the three policemen involved to be disciplined and to be held criminally responsible for their actions.

Source: AIM