Mozambique: President wants authors of attack on Canal de Moçambique at the “bar of justice”

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Mozambique: President wants authors of attack on Canal de Moçambique at the “bar of justice”

11:02 CAT | 25 Aug 2020

File photo: Magazine Independente

Mozambique’s President Filipe Nyusi yesterday condemned the attack that destroyed the newsroom facilities of the newspaper Canal de Moçambique on Sunday night, adding that the authorities have been instructed to investigate and bring the authors to the “bar of justice”.

“I vehemently condemn the attacks on Canal de Moçambique. Press freedom is a pillar of democracy, and an achievement of the Mozambicans that must be protected,” said the Mozambican head of state, in a brief note released on Monday on his Facebook page.

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. Through the newsroom’s smashed-in doors, it was still possible to see the small fuel containers used in the arson attack.

The president’s post adds that he has instructed the authorities to investigate and hold the perpetrators accountable.

“We instructed the authorities to investigate and bring the perpetrators to the bar of justice,” the Mozambican head of state’s message reads.

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.

Source: Lusa