Election reporting by public media less biased than in 1994. but party funding controversial
Following the announcement today of the electoral victory in Mozambique of incumbent President Joaquim Chissano and the ruling party FRELIMO, ARTICLE 19 and the Mozambique Human Rights League (LDH) have published a joint report commending the publicly-owned media in Mozambique for an overall improvement in the balance and impartiality of its coverage during the December […]
Two reporters assaulted
(MISA/IFEX) – On 8 December 1999, two reporters were assaulted by some 100 polling station monitors in the Mozambican capital of Maputo. The Mozambican news agency, AIM, reported that the two reporters, Salomao Muiambo and Amadeu Marrengula, both of “Noticias” newspaper, were covering a demonstration of polling station monitors, who were demanding that the main […]
Opposition party bans daily paper from covering its election activities
(MISA/IFEX) – Mozambique’s main opposition party, Renamo, has told the daily paper “Noticias” not to cover any of the election campaign activities of its leader and presidential candidate, Afonso Dhlakama. **Updates IFEX alerts of 16 November and 28 October 1999** The director of the Renamo election office, Manuel Frank, and Dhlakama’s election agent, Luis Gouveia, […]
Opposition leader makes conciliatory overtures to media; reporters harassed
(MISA/IFEX) – Afonso Dhlakama, the leader of Renamo, Mozambique’s main opposition party, said on 12 November 1999 that he was “in solidarity” with all Mozambican journalists. He added that they were “courageous”, but that the problem lay with editors who “harass” their reporters and “always cut their texts when these are good”. **Updates IFEX alert […]
Opposition leader threatens to ban reporters in election campaign
(MISA/IFEX) – A provincial leader of the main Mozambican opposition party Renamo, Manuel Pereira, has threatened to ban the Mozambican press from covering Renamo in the current general election campaign. Quoted in the daily “Diario de Mocambique”, Pereira, who is leader of Renamo in Sofala province, claimed that the media were distorting the truth about […]
A decade of progress on free speech
(ARTICLE 19/IFEX) – The following is an ARTICLE 19 press release: MOZAMBIQUE – A DECADE OF PROGRESS ON FREE SPEECH ARTICLE 19 today releases a good news story for Africa. A wide-ranging survey on Mozambique published this week details the remarkable transformation from a society beset by censorship to one where freedom of expression is […]
Journalist assaulted by parliamentary official
(MISA/IFEX) – On 13 July 1999, a journalist working for the Maputo daily “Noticias”, Felisberto Arnaca, reported that he was “physically attacked” by a parliamentary official, Valgy Tricamugy. The incident happened in the Maputo City Hall, while Arnaca was covering a special meeting of the Parliamentary Forum of the Portuguese Speaking Countries. Tricamugy is employed […]
Newspaper cleared in massive libel suit
(MISA/IFEX) – On 17 June 1999, the leader of a Mozambican opposition party, Domingos Arouca from the Mozambique United Front (FUMO), lost a libel suit against the country’s Sunday paper “Domingo”. The Mozambican news agency, AIM, reports that the case had serious implications for press freedom since Arouca had demanded damages of no less than […]
Police commander sentenced for detaining reporter
(MISA/IFEX) – “A court in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado has found a local police commander guilty of illegally detaining reporter Fernando Quinova in December 1998, and has sentenced the commander to six months imprisonment, reports the Mozambican News Agency, AIM.” **Updates IFEX alerts of 11 May, 12 April, 10 March, 9 March, […]
Police commander charged, journalist vindicated
(MISA/IFEX) – The provincial attorney in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, Arone Nhaca, has instituted criminal proceedings against a district police commander, Severino Charles, who illegally detained a journalist on two separate occasions, in October 1998 and February 1999, reports the Mozambican news agency, AIM. **Updates IFEX alerts of 12 April, 10 March, […]
Action to be taken against police chief who detained journalist
(MISA/IFEX) – Mozambican Prime Minister Pascoal Mocumbi has confirmed that action is being taken against the Chiure police commander who detained journalist Fernando Quinova on two separate occasions (last October and February of this year), reports the Mozambican News Agency (AIM). **Updates IFEX alerts of 10 March, 9 March, 8 March, 5 March, 3 February […]
Journalist released
(MISA/IFEX) – Jailed reporter Fernando Quinova, who was held illegally by police in the northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado, was released at the weekend, reports the Mozambican News Agency, AIM. **Updates IFEX alerts of 9 March, 8 March, 5 March, 3 February and 28 January 1999** Quoting the 9 March 1999 edition of the […]
RSF protests re-arrest, poor treatment of journalist
(RSF/IFEX) – The following is an RSF letter to Mozambican Interior Minister Almerino Manhenje protesting the recent re-arrest and poor treatment of journalist Fernando Quinova: **Updates IFEX alerts of 8 March, 5 March, 3 February and 28 January 1999** Almerino Manhenje Minister of the Interior Maputo, Mozambique Paris, 9 March 1999 Mr. Minister, In a […]
Journalist re-arrested, charged
(MISA/IFEX) – Journalist Fernando Quinova, who works for the publicly-owned Mass Communication Institute (ICS), has been re-arrested after escaping from jail where he had languished for twenty-three days without charge. **Updates IFEX alerts of 5 March, 3 February and 28 January 1999** Quinova was initially arrested in the town of Chiure in the northern Cabo […]
Journalist rearrested
(CPJ/IFEX) – Fernando Quinova, Cabo Delgado province correspondent for the state-owned Mass Communications Institute, has been rearrested in Cabo Delgado after escaping in January 1999 from an illegal 23-day detention, during which police demanded that the journalist pay money in return for “the privilege of seeing the sun.” **Updates IFEX alerts of 3 February and […]
RSF protests illegal detention of journalist
(RSF/IFEX) – RSF is protesting the arbitrary arrest of a journalist in the Cabo Delgado region. According to RSF’s information, Fernando Quinova, a correspondent with the Social Communication Institute in the Cabo Delgado region (Chiure district), was arrested and arbitrarily detained for twenty three days. On 27 October 1998, Radio Mozambique broadcast a report in […]