In Mozambique- The Committee to Protect Journalists and 37 other civil society groups yesterday, 11 April, issued a joint statement urging Mozambican authorities to immediately and unconditionally release community radio journalist Amade Abubacar, who has been in pre-trial detention since his arrest on January 5.
Abubacar was arrested while interviewing people fleeing attacks in the northern province of Cape Delgado, and has been in detention without trial for over three months, according to CPJ reporting.
He is being held in Mieze prison in Pemba and is being denied visits by his family, according to the joint statement.
Abubacar is among this month's "10 Most Urgent" cases of journalists under attack worldwide, according to the One Free Press Coalition, of which CPJ is a partner organisation.
The joint release, issued on Mozambique's National Journalists' Day, reads;
“Civil society groups urge the Mozambican authorities to immediately and unconditionally release journalist Amade Abubacar.
"He has been in detention since 5 January, after he was arrested by police officers when he was interviewing people who fled their homes due to intensification of violent attacks carried out by individuals believed to be members of an extremist group.
"Amade was allegedly subjected to different forms of ill-treatment while in military detention. He also confirmed he had been deprived of food for a few days”.