(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, […]
(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, 9 March, 8 March, 5 March, 3
February and 28 January 1999**
In a letter dated 22 April 1999, Nhaca informed the Pemba branch of the
publicly-owned Mass Communications Institute (ICS) of his decision to start
criminal proceedings against Charles over the illegal detention of ICS
journalist Fernando Quinova. Furthermore, Nhaca also ordered the arrest on a
murder charge of the police officer involved in the beating to death of an
alleged thief in police custody. It was Quinova’s story about the suspect’s
death during police custody that prompted his illegal detention.
Background Information
The actions by Nhaca have vindicated Quinova in all respects. Not only is
the man who jailed him likely to go on trial, but the attorney general has
also followed through on the accusations against the police that were
contained in Quinova’s original story.
Quinova, who works for the ICS in the Cabo Delgado district of Chiure, was
arrested on 30 October 1998 shortly after Radio Mozambique ran his story
about the death of the alleged thief in police custory. He was held in the
Chiure police cells without charge for twenty-three days but managed to
escape and walked through the bush for two weeks until he reached the
provincial capital, Pemba.
He and the local ICS delegate, Luisa Lourenco, then complained to the
provincial police command, who admitted that the Chiure police had behaved
illegally and promised an inquiry. Despite this, Quinova was re-arrested on
15 February when he returned to Chiure. He was then charged with slandering
the police, and “leaking information.” However, neither of the charges
against Quinova existed in the Mozambican legal order.
Quinova was released from detention on 6 March.
