(CPJ/IFEX) – In a 16 January 2002 letter to President Joaquim Alberto Chissano, CPJ protested the ongoing prosecution of Marcelo Mosse, formerly chief reporter for the now defunct daily “Metical”, on criminal defamation charges. The president’s son, Nympine Chissano, filed charges against Mosse and “Metical” over a 21 February 2001 “Metical” article reporting that Nympine […]
(CPJ/IFEX) – In a 16 January 2002 letter to President Joaquim Alberto Chissano, CPJ protested the ongoing prosecution of Marcelo Mosse, formerly chief reporter for the now defunct daily “Metical”, on criminal defamation charges.
The president’s son, Nympine Chissano, filed charges against Mosse and “Metical” over a 21 February 2001 “Metical” article reporting that Nympine Chissano was briefly detained in South Africa, around 15 February, on unspecified charges.
In a written denial sent to “Metical” in March, Nympine Chissano’s lawyer threatened legal action against the newspaper, declaring that his client was not detained and had “never transported cocaine or other substances forbidden by law inside or outside the country,” according to AIM, the Mozambican state news service.
However, all sources interviewed by CPJ concur that the “Metical” story did not mention cocaine or any other illegal substance. That allegation first appeared in the “Johannesburg Mail” and “Guardian” under the byline of a South African journalist. Mosse later repeated the allegation in the Portuguese weekly “Expresso”, for which he is the correspondent in Mozambique.
The next hearing is scheduled for 21 January. Nympine Chissano is seeking damages of US$80,000 from Mosse and “Metical”, said CPJ sources in Maputo. A guilty verdict could also result in a jail sentence for the journalist.
CPJ recalls that “Metical” cannot be liable for allegations that it did not publish. For this reason alone, Nympine Chissano’s case has absolutely no merit. The organization also feels that it is outrageous that the president’s son is pursuing criminal charges in a defamation case. Civil penalties provide adequate redress for individuals who feel they have been defamed; journalists should never be jailed for what they write, publish, or broadcast.
“Metical”, which closed its doors in late December 2001, was the property of its founder and first editor, Carlos Cardoso, who was murdered, gangland style, on 22 November 2000. After Cardoso’s death, ownership of the paper passed to Cardoso’s two underage children, Ibo and Milena, under the legal supervision of their mother, Nina Berg. In the worst-case scenario, the court could jail Mosse and bankrupt the Cardoso family.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the president:
– expressing the hope that his son will drop all pending charges against Mosse and “Metical”, given the evident absurdity of the case
– asking him to take all legal measures within his power to halt the prosecution of Mosse and “Metical”, if the above action is not taken
Appeals To
His Excellency Joaquim Alberto Chissano
President of the Republic of Mozambique
Avenida Julius Nyerere 2000
Caixa Postal 285
Maputo, Mozambique
Fax: +258 492 068
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
