URGENT ACTION

JOURNALIST’S DISAPPEARANCE MUST BE INVESTIGATED
Mozambican journalist and politician Arlindo Chissale, 46, has not been seen since 7 January. Witnesses who spoke with Arlindo Chissale's family revealed that on 7 January, they saw him being removed from a public minibus and beaten before being driven away by alleged members of the defense and security forces. On 16 January, his family filed a complaint at the 2nd police station in Pemba, Cabo Delgado, but to date, authorities have not publicly announced any investigation initiated or underway, despite the leads and testimonies from his family. This is not the first case of a journalist disappearing in Cabo Delgado. The Mozambican authorities must urgently locate Arlindo Chissale and investigate the circumstances of his enforced disappearance and reveal his fate and whereabouts.

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

Prosecutor General of the Republic
Américo Julião Letela
Av. Vladimir Lenine nr. 121
Maputo, Mozambique
Email denuncias@pgr.gov.mz

Dear Prosecutor General, 

I am writing to you to express my concern about the enforced disappearance of journalist and politician Arlindo Chissale (46), and the lack of any public communication from the authorities about the start or progress of any investigation into his case or the failure to reveal his fate and whereabouts.

On 7 January, Arlindo Chissale left his home in Pemba, Cabo Delgado for Nacala, Nampula. According to his family, his wife was the last to communicate with him at around 5pm, when he was in the Silva Macua village. Witnesses saw Arlindo Chissale being removed from the public minibus he was in and taken away by a group of men, three of whom were dressed in military uniforms at around 5:30pm. Witnesses then told his family they saw him being beaten and forced into a second vehicle, a white car with no license plates. Arlindo Chissale has not been seen since.

On 16 January, his family filed a complaint with the authorities at the 2nd Police Station of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) in Pemba, Cabo Delgado. On 29 January, the Media Institute for Southern Africa - MISA Mozambique, asked the Ministries of Defense and Interior to clarify, with the utmost urgency, the alleged involvement of agents of the Defense and Security Forces (members of the PRM and military) in Arlindo’s Chissale's enforced disappearance. On 8 February, his family reported that his phone had been switched on. When the family called, the call went through, but no one answered. The next day, on 9 February, the phone was turned off. On 10 February, the spokeswoman for the PRM in Cabo Delgado province had confirmed that Arlindo Chissale's case had been forwarded to the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC). However, the spokesman for SERNIC in Cabo Delgado later revealed that he had not received any letter relating to Arlindo Chissale's case.

I call on you to ensure that Arlindo Chissale’s enforced disappearance is promptly, thoroughly, independently, impartially, transparently and effectively investigated with his fate and whereabouts disclosed. Anyone suspected to be responsible should be brought to justice in fair trials. Authorities must follow up all existing leads to publicly clarify where Arlindo Chissale is, and how and why he was forcibly disappeared.

Yours sincerely,

Additional information

Arlindo Chissale is a husband and father of five children. He is a journalist and editor for Pinnacle News, an online news outlet that also covers the ongoing conflict in Cabo Delgado. He is also an active supporter of opposition candidate Venâncio Mondlane, a former independent presidential candidate in the general elections held on 9 October 2024.

Arlindo Chissale has also written about the elections and the widespread allegations of irregularities, which sparked protests across the country, resulting in, according to Civil Society Organizations monitoring the crisis, more than 300 deaths, many of which have been attributed to security forces. His enforced disappearance comes at a time when the opposition party, Podemos, has denounced that over 100 of its members have either forcibly disappeared, been abducted, detained, or killed since the start of the protests in October 2024.

Arlindo Chissale is not the first journalist to go missing in Cabo Delgado. In April 2020, another journalist, Ibrahimo Mbaruco, forcibly disappeared in Palma district, allegedly abducted by military personnel. To this day, his fate and whereabouts remain unknown, and the public prosecutor archived the case without any resolution.

This is not the first time Arlindo Chissale has been targeted by the authorities. On 29 August 2022, he was detained and held incommunicado by the police for 3 days, according to his family he was later granted provisional release and issued a TIR-Term of Identity and Residency.

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

PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: 17 August 2025
Please check with the Amnesty office in your country if you wish to send appeals after the deadline.

NAME AND PRONOUN: Arlindo Chissale (He/Him)

Additional information

Her Excellency Ms Albertina Maria Domingos Macdonald  
High Commissioner 
High Commission for the Republic of Mozambique
21 Fitzroy Square, London, W1T 6EL
Phone: 020 7383 3800
Email: hclondon@mozambiquehc.co.uk 
Web: www.mozambiquehighcommission.org.uk 
Hours: Monday-Friday 09.30 to 13.00 & 14.00 to 17.00
Hours Consular Section: Monday-Friday 09.30 to 13.00
Consular enquiries by email: sectorconsular@mozambiquehc.co.uk 
Salutation: Your Excellency

Ministry of Justice & Constitutional Affairs
Mateus da Cecília Finiasse Saeze
Email: suporte@mjcr.gov.mz and info@mjcr.gov.mz 
Av. Zedequias Manganhela, Maputo, Moçambique

President of Mozambique
Mr. Daniel Chapo 
E-mail: gabinetedeimprensa.pr@gmail.com
& info@danielchapo.org.mz
Adress: Av. Julius Nherere, Maputo