Good afternoon. The acquittal of the economist Carlos Castel-Branco and the journalist Fernando Mbanze by the Supreme Court last month, in a judgment that emerged today, is a victory for media freedom. It is also a sign of the increasingly limited influence of former president Armando Guebuza and his circle.
In 2013, public prosecutors indicted Castel-Branco and Mbanze over an article written by the former in the newssheet Mediafax, in which he heavily criticised Guebuza, the then president, for being authoritarian and compared him to dictators like Hitler, Mussolini, Salazar and Mobutu. They were prosecuted for defaming the president, a criminal offence.
The full Daily Briefing continues below for Pro subscribers. Subscribers to the Zitamar News tier can read the top half, including the full leader article, here.
Mbanze was prosecuted for publishing the article as editor of Mediafax. The Maputo city court acquitted the two, but the public prosecutor's office appealed, arguing that the right to freedom of speech needed to be balanced with protecting the honour of the president. The appeal court also acquitted them, but prosecutors went to the Supreme Court, which has now rejected the case once and for all.
