Mozambican authorities should thoroughly investigate an arson attack on the office of Canal de Moçambique, an independent weekly investigative newspaper, a prominent human rights group said on Monday in a press release
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 31st August, 2020) Mozambican authorities should thoroughly investigate an arson attack on the office of Canal de Moçambique, an independent weekly investigative newspaper, a prominent human rights group said on Monday in a press release.
On August 23, unidentified individuals broke into the office of the media outlet in Maputo, the country's capital, poured gasoline on equipment and furniture and set the place on fire. The attack occurred days after Canal de Moçambique published an investigative story alleging the "unethical procurement by politically connected individuals and senior government officials" at the Energy Ministry, according to Amnesty International.
"The authorities must undertake a prompt, thorough, impartial, independent and transparent investigation into this attack, and bring those responsible to justice," Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International's Director for East and Southern Africa, said, as quoted in the press release.
Amnesty International added that reporters, researches, academics and others who hold critical views about the Mozambican authorities have faced human rights abuses, including harassment and torture in recent years. The rights group also said that the recent arson attack revealed the escalating pressure on human rights and media freedom in Mozambique.
