MOZAMBIQUE: HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT PROVOKES MOSTLY

UNCLAS MAPUTO 000322 SIPDIS SENSITIVE AF/S FOR HTREGER, AF/PD FOR RDANCE, DRL FOR MORONA E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PHUM PREL MZ SUBJECT: MOZAMBIQUE: HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT PROVOKES MOSTLY FAVORABLE COMMENT BY GOVERNMENT AND MEDIA ¶1. (U) The recently released 2004 Human Rights Report chapter on Mozambique has received mostly favorable attention in the local press and provoked considerable discussion in the media over human rights concerns in the country. On March 4 the state-run daily Noticias ran a story over an interview given by the Attorney General, Joaquim Madeira, on his reaction to the Human Rights Report. Madeira admitted that there were certain "weaknesses" on the part of authorities in administering Mozambique's justice system, though he attributed some of this to lack of resources. He said, also, that the lax attitude of the Chissano era was partly to blame, though he noted that in the new Guebuza government authorities would have to behave responsibly. Several prominent local politicians contacted by the newspaper later in the week affirmed the accuracy of the reports' conclusions, and called for more action on the part of the government and the populace to respect human rights. ¶2. (SBU) The one sour note came from Paul Fauvet, a naturalized Mozambican editor of the government news service, who wrote a condemnatory article entitled "Omission and Incompetence." Starting his piece by blasting the U.S. over the Abu Ghraib prison scandal, he then took potshots at the Mozambique report for not detailing sources and, in his view, for unsubstantiated or exaggerated claims. We've reviewed the report carefully, as a result, and feel comfortable that Fauvet failed to highlight any real shortcomings in the document or in our work. Last year Fauvet made similar complaints. ¶3. (U) Comment: The government and media are largely appreciative of the report's findings, and discussion prompted by the report invariably ends by concluding that much more should be done. We will use the report in upcoming meetings with government officials to urge more action on human rights concerns. LALIME