URGENT ACTION

JOURNALIST ARBITRARILY DETAINED INCOMMUNICADO

Amade Abubacar, a journalist at Nacedje community radio, was arrested on 5 January 2019, by the police in Macomia district, Cabo Delgado province, northern Mozambique. The police confiscated his cell phone, handcuffed him and took him to Macomia’s Police Station. Amade Abubacar was arrested when he was interviewing internally displaced civilians who fled their homes due to the intensification of violent attacks in the northern Cabo Delgado. Amade Abubacar is being held in incommunicado detention, he has not been officially charged with any crime and has not been granted access to his lawyer.

TAKE ACTION: WRITE AN APPEAL IN YOUR OWN WORDS OR USE THIS MODEL LETTER

Honourable Minister of Interior Jaime Basilio Monteiro 
Av. Olof Palme 46/48
Maputo, 
Mozambique 
departamentocomunicacao2016@gmail.com,
adimoamb@yahoo.com.br 
Dear Minister Jaime Basílio Monteiro,

On 5 January, police in the Macomia district of Cabo Delgado (northern Mozambique) arrested journalist Amade Abubacar and detained him. He has not been charged with any offence. Amade Abubacar is a journalist at Nacedje community radio.

Amade Abubacar was covering the attacks on civilians carried by armed groups in the Cabo Delgado province, and was therefore interviewing and photographing a group of people who fled their homes due to the intensification of violent attacks; when police officers arrested him without warrant. They handcuffed Amade Abubacar, confiscated his cell phone and took him into custody.

On 6 January 2019, Amade Abubacar was taken to the military detention in Mueda district, northern Cabo Delgado. Amade Abubacar has being held in incommunicado detention, has not been charged with any crime and has not been granted access to his lawyer.

This is the second arbitrary arrest of journalists in less than a month in the province of Cabo Delgado. Amnesty International condemns the climate of fear and impunity widespread in Mozambique.

I urge you to immediately and unconditionally release Amade Abubacar from arbitrary detention by military forces. I call on you to ensure that, pending his release, Amade Abubacar is not subjected to torture and other ill-treatment, and that he is allowed access to his family and lawyers of his choosing. I urge you to ensure that journalists are able to carry out their work without fear of attacks, intimidation, harassment and censorship.

Yours sincerely,

Additional information

Since October 2017, armed groups have killed civilians in the Cabo Delgado province, northern Mozambique. The attacks started in Mocimboa da Praia district (northern Cabo Delgado), involving members of an extremist group who launched coordinated and simultaneous attacks on government institutions including police headquarters. 

The attacks escalated in the end of 2018. Between November and December 2018, more than 8 attacks happened in villages in the northern districts of Cabo Delgado province, including Nangade, Macomia and Palma resulting in 20 deaths and more than 100 houses burned.
The group’s political ideology is unknown and has not made any political demands.

The rebels invade villages, set houses on fire, hack villagers to death with machetes and loot their food. The residents of the villages changed their daily life for fear of attacks. Some do not sleep in their homes anymore and prefer to sleep on the beach. They avoid walking at night and some have fled to other districts.

For more information, please read the Amnesty International press release “Mozambique: End Brutal Killing Spree by Armed Group” (https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/06/mozambique-end-brutal-killing-spree-by-armed-group/).

Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. HIS EXCELLENCY MR FILIPE CHIDUMO, High Commission for the Republic of Mozambique, 21 Fitzroy Square, London, W1T 6EL tel: 020 7383 3800  Fax 020 7383 3801 email: sectorconsular@mozambiquehc.co.uk www.mozambiquehighcommission.org.uk, Salutation: Your Excellency Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date.

PREFERRED LANGUAGE TO ADDRESS TARGET: Portuguese
You can also write in your own language.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: 22 February 2019. 
Please check with the Amnesty office in your country if you wish to send appeals after the deadline.

NAME AND PREFERED PRONOUN: Amade Abubacar (him/his)