The International Press Institute (IPI) is deeply concerned by the continued pattern of judicial harassment, intimidation, and violence targeting independent journalists in Mozambique, particularly those reporting on environmental crime, corruption, and natural resource governance.
The most recent example is the ongoing targeting of investigative journalist Estácio Valoi. Since he began publishing reports alleging the illegal export of timber from Mozambique’s central Beira region to China, Valoi has faced an escalating campaign of legal and judicial harassment.
Last month, authorities seized Valoi’s personal and professional equipment following a court order. Authorities also informed Valoi that a judge requested that he delete an article related to the seizure of 111 timber containers at the Port of Beira.
Previously, Valoi and the national and international media outlets with which he collaborated received coordinated legal threats from the company at the center of the allegations, Safi Timber, demanding that the investigative report be taken offline. Valoi is currently facing a criminal defamation case brought by Safi.
“IPI calls on the Mozambican authorities to ensure an end to all retaliatory legal action against Estácio Valoi. The seizure of Valoi’s professional and personal equipment is a serious violation of press freedom and as well as the right to source protection and the privacy of journalistic communication. We call on the authorities to return his equipment without delay,” IPI Africa Programme Lead Nompilo Simanje said.
Journalists covering environmental and climate stories in Africa face a range of threats, including physical attacks, restrictions on access to information, and legal harassment, according to IPI data. Journalists reporting critically on natural resource exploitation — especially illegal mining, deforestation, and oil management — are at particular risk. IPI research has also highlighted the use of retaliatory legal cases (SLAPPs) targeting climate and environmental journalists, which often take the form of defamation cases.
Other journalists have faced attacks and retaliation for their reporting on environmental topics in Mozambique, underscoring the risky nature of the beat — heightened by impunity for those attacks.
In February 2025, journalist Carlitos Cadangue was shot at while driving back home with his son in Chimoio city, Manica province, as IPI previously reported. STV and local press freedom groups suspected that the attack was linked to Cadangue’s reporting on illegal mining and pollution in Manica province, which led the government to institute a temporary ban on mining in the area amid an investigation into the allegations. Cadangue had previously been threatened by powerful actors invested in the mining industry who were angered by his coverage. To date, no one has been held accountable for this attack.