(Xinhua/TBI Africa.com) AmadeAbubacar and Germano Daniel Adriano, two Mozambican Journalists accused of publicly instigating violent crime while covering the attacks of armed men in the North of the country were released under some conditions on Tuesday.
The information was made public in a statement by the Southern African Social Communications Institute in Mozambique (MISA-Mozambique), a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) advocating for media freedom.
The released journalists, Abubacar, arrested in January, and Adriano, arrested in February, are both from the Radio and Television of Macomia, a community media in the province of Cabo Delgado.
According to MISA-Mozambique, the two journalists were accused of “disseminating dishonourable messages against members of the Defence Forces of Mozambique, through a Facebook account that announced attacks that occurred in the villages of the district of Macomia.’’
Sporadic attacks in the province by groups of unidentified armed men have killed over 100 people, causing fear and displacement in several regions since October 2017.
“Abubacar and Adriano will respond to the charges of the Public Prosecution Service, while MISA-Mozambique, through its lawyers, continues to bring evidence to prove their innocence, as well as to restore legal truth around the case,’’ said the statement.
Since the journalists’ detention, their release has been requested by the United Nations, other activists and civil society organisations from home and abroad, lamenting that they were detained without a court order.
