Human rights groups call for investigation into arrest of Mozambican journalist – JURIST

Amnesty International and the Mozambique Human Rights Defenders Network (RMDDH) on Friday called on Mozambican authorities to investigate the arrest of human rights activist and journalist Sheila Wilson following a demonstration on June 4 in the capital Maputo.

Wilson was working for the Centre for Development and Democracy (CDD) outside the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) office in Maputo, where former state intelligence agents were demanding compensation that she had not received from the government for more than 20 years. During her arrest, she was violently pushed into the police vehicle, causing a head injury. She has since been released.

RMDDH condemned the arrest as an attack on democracy and human rights activists, saying it was in direct violation of Mozambique’s constitution. For this reason, they called for the Attorney General to intervene to hold those responsible for the “kidnapping of the journalist” to account.

Amnesty International stated that Wilson’s arrest highlights the harsh treatment of journalists in Mozambique and represents a serious violation of the right to information, freedom of opinion and expression, and freedom of the press.

The director of the CDD in Mozambique, Adriano Nuvunga, explained on X that despite Wilson’s release, the police continue to illegally retain her phone, an essential tool for their work.

After her release, Wilson stated that after being detained at the police station for six hours and having no right to contact anyone, she was told that she was under investigation but no charges had been brought against her.

Former Defence and Security Forces (FDS) officers began a protest on May 28, camping outside the UNDP office to demand compensation arising from the 1992 General Peace Agreement that ended the civil war in the country. They claim that they were promised compensation when they were disbanded, but since then they have not fulfilled that promise. Due to the police operation, hundreds of former Defence and Security Forces (FDS) officers fled the protest.