• ALERT Date: September 19, 2007 Persons: Domingos Boaventura Violation: Censored An official of Mozambique’s former rebel movement Renamo accused a reporter from one of the country’s independent weeklies of taking orders from the ruling Frelimo Party, when he dared ask awkward questions about Renamo’s economic problems and the defections of Renamo members. Reporter Domingos Boaventura from the weekly “Magazine Independente” (MI), attempted to interview the Renamo political delegate for the central province of Manica, Mateus Lucas Antonio, about the various problems facing Renamo. Speaking to Antonio in the Renamo provincial headquarters in the city of Chimoio, Boaventura asked him about the wave of members who have deserted Renamo and joined Frelimo, about Renamo disrict offices that have no electricity or vehicles, and the delays in paying Renamo workers. Antonio declared these were not proper subjects for a news story “because it’s internal Renamo business”. • ALERT Date: July 22, 2007 Persons: TVM reporting staff Violation: Censored The Sofala nucleus has protested attempts by Celina Henriques, the press attaché of Sofala provincial governor Alberto Vaquina, to dictate which journalists the public television station, TVM, may send to cover events involving Vaquina and the provincial government. TVM worker Candida Duarte has complained that she was under pressure from Henriques not to cover official events, and that Henriques had even rung up the Beira TVM office on two occasions to demand that TVM send somebody else rather than her. Duarte says she has no idea why Henriques has taken this attitude. MISA Mozambique has urged the provincial authorities to grant all media professionals the same access to official events, without any discrimination. • ALERT Date: July 21, 2007 Persons: Jorge Ataide Violation: Beaten, censored On July 21, photojournalist Jorge Ataide, was attacked by Mamad Haider, the chairman of the Macufi and Benfica sports club, when he tried to photograph the sports personality. Ataide is a photographer for the Beira daily "Diario de Mocambique". According to the Sofala provincial nucleus of MISA Mozambique, the incident happened on a football field in the central city of Beira, when Abel Mamad Haider attempted to attack the referee in a match that his team had lost. Haider’s team, Benfica, lost to its rival, Ferroviariio da Beira, by two goals to one, and Haider lost his temper with the referee, Joaquim Manuel, accusing him of bias. Haider instead took out his anger on the photographer, kicking him, and causing Ataide to drop his digital camera. The disk in the camera was damaged, and Ataide lost all his pictures from the football matches held that day. The Sofala MISA Mozambique nucleus urged the authorities to take measures against Haider, and against all "other acts that violate the right of citizens to information". So This Is Democracy? 2007 -57- Media Institute of Southern Africa