Committee to Protect Journalists Statement

Journalist shot dead in Mozambique



New York, August 28, 2015-An unidentified gunman shot dead a Mozambican journalist who was out jogging in the capital city of Maputo early today, according to news reports . Paulo Machava was the publisher of the news website Diario de Noticias and had worked with Rádio Moçambique and  the weekly Savana, according to reports . Machava was also involved in a campaign supporting an economist and two reporters who are being tried for defamation, thestate news agency said . The economist had criticized former PresidentArmando Guebuza and the reporters had republished the criticism.

"We are appalled by the brazen murder of Paulo Machava and call on authorities to investigate the crime efficiently, identify the motive, and prosecute the killers," said CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Sue Valentine. "Machava's murder has no place in a country striving to build a democracy that two decades ago emerged from civil conflict."

CPJ has documented the killing of only one journalist indirect
relation to his work since the organization began keeping records in 1992. In November 2000, CarlosCardoso , editor of the daily newsletter Metical, was gunned down inMaputo outside his office after the outlet published an investigation into alleged corruption at a major Mozambican bank. In 2003, six men were convicted for the murder,including one, Anibal dos Santo sJunior, who was sentenced to 30 years, according to newsreports . The son of former President Joaquim Chissanowas charged as the mastermind but died before the trial.


·          For data and analysis on Mozambique,visit CPJ's Mozambique page .

CPJ is an independent, nonprofit organization that works to safeguard press freedom worldwide.