Mozambique: Renamo’s attack on journalists is a war crime – Union

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Mozambique: Renamo’s attack on journalists is a war crime – Union

12:25 CAT | 15 Aug 2016

Voa (File photo) / Eduardo Constantino

Two vehicles carrying Mozambique Radio and Television reporting teams en route to Macossa district in Manica to cover President Nyusi’s visit to the province were attacked last week. There were no fatalities, but one journalist was slightly injured by flying glass.

Eduardo Constantino, Secretary General of the National Union of Journalists (SNJ) strongly condemned the attacks and expressed his concern about what the union says are war crimes perpetrated by Renamo.

As Constantino explained, in accordance with international conventions, particularly the Third Geneva Convention on Press Freedom, an attack on journalists in the course of pursuing their profession constitutes a war crime.

“In this context, the National Union of Journalists reported this event to the International Federation of Journalists as a war crime,” Notícias quotes Constantino as saying on Saturday.

tvm.noticio.jpg — The Rádio Moçambique vehicle , photographed after the attack on Friday

According to the union leader, there was no justification for Renamo to act this way, because the attack was carried out on well-identified cars.

“Attacks in general and on journalists in particular have no justification,” he said.

Chairman of the Media Institute for Southern Africa in Mozambique (MISA-Mozambique), Fernando Gonçalves says that the Renamo attack on journalists is a flagrant violation of press freedom and that he also considered it a war crime, in the light of international conventions.

Quoted by the newspaper, he said that there is no justification for such a barbaric act, and that Renamo, above all, should respect the work of the media in the country.

“They were duly identified as travelling journalists. No matter what body they belong to, the truth is that they were on mission and, as such, protected by law,” Gonçalves said, adding that acts of this nature should not be allowed in the country.