The Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CDD), a non-governmental organisation, welcomed this Wednesday, December 4, the ruling of the Maputo City Judicial Court (TJCM), which prohibits telecommunications operators from blocking Internet access.
‘On Tuesday (3), the Maputo City Judicial Court notified the Centre for Democracy and Human Rights of a ruling that prohibits mobile phone operators from blocking Internet access. This is an unprecedented decision by a justice system that has accustomed us to cherishing and patronising the regime’s illegalities,’ reads an article by the CDD, quoted by Lusa.
‘More than a judicial victory, the TJCM’s decision represents an important step in the revitalisation of human rights and fundamental rights in a state that systematically threatens democratic freedoms,’ reiterated the CDD.
For the NGO, the ruling recognises Internet access as a fundamental right of the Mozambican people. ‘This judgement shows that the people are vigilant and will not tolerate any more attacks on their fundamental rights. The Internet is the backbone of modern communication, access to information, education and the economy,’ he added.
According to the CDD, the ruling is the result of an injunction filed by civil society organisations, namely the CDD, the Centre for Public Integrity (CIP) and the Centre for Civil Society Learning and Training (CESC) against the operators Movitel, Vodacom and the state-owned Mozambique Telecom (Tmcel).
For the organisation, the blocking of the Internet is an ‘unacceptable act of repression’ and the blackout, which lasted ten days from 24 October to 5 November, was aimed at ‘preventing demonstrations and the circulation of information about police repression.’
‘Following this decision, civil society will file a lawsuit to hold the state responsible and to compensate the victims of the Internet blockade,’ the NGO concluded.
In November, the Minister of Transport and Communications admitted that the restrictions on the Internet, especially on social networks, were the result of the operators’ own actions, so that the network wouldn’t be used to “destroy” the country, in the context of the post-election demonstrations.
‘It’s a combination of many factors; the destruction of infrastructures, but also the security of the operators themselves, who have to work in a secure environment. Also the civil responsibility of the operators, when they see that the Internet is being used for the destruction of the country,’ said Mateus Magala.
‘Surely they themselves have taken measures to prevent the Internet from being a collective good, not an evil used to destroy our country,’ he added.
At least 76 people died and another 240 were injured in Mozambique during 41 days of demonstrations to contest the election results, according to the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Plataforma Eleitoral Decide.
According to the report released by the electoral monitoring platform, which includes data from 21 October to 1 December, there were also ‘more than 1,700 people injured from various causes’ across the country in these demonstrations, and an estimated ‘more than 3,000 arrests.’
Presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, who does not recognise the election results announced on 24 October by the National Electoral Commission, which still have to be validated by the Constitutional Council, called on Monday for a new phase of protest lasting a week, starting on 4 October, in ‘all the neighbourhoods’ of Mozambique, with a halt to traffic.
