After seeing its headquarters attacked twice in less than 15 days, the Union of Angolan Journalists (SJA) decided to call a protest demonstration for next Saturday.
The president of the Union, Teixeira Cândido, explains to the TSF that attacks on journalists have multiplied in recent weeks, and in addition to the union, the thieves also entered the houses of several journalists. The union leader does not believe that these are common robberies, since in all cases they only took the computers.
“The question is who is interested in having access to journalists’ computers, who, why and for what. What use are the computers of journalists for the common citizen? ”, She asks.
This week, in Luanda, seven journalists were arrested when “they were covering a demonstration by firefighters.” The president of the Union says that life for journalists is more difficult today than before João Lourenço came to power.
“After the burglaries began in our houses, any of us fear for our lives and physical integrity. Today computers are stolen, tomorrow it may be our own physical integrity. Tomorrow she can go back to doing something else and any of us can fear for her life, “she stresses.
The general secretary of the Union of Angolan Journalists (SJA) considered this week that media professionals are being “attacked”, announcing a protest march for the 17th of this month.
Teixeira Cândido reported, at a press conference, about the occurrence of two robberies this year, both in circumstances that have yet to be clarified, having in both cases stolen the main computer and the SJA database.
According to the union leader, the Criminal Investigation Service was involved in the first robbery, however, on “Saturday, December 3, they attacked the union headquarters again and curiously took the same computer.”
“And once again there are no signs of forcing the door, the lock that secures the first door was open, it was on the floor, without having been forced, everything was intact and they took the computer,” he said.
Teixeira Cândido stressed that the padlock, bought in a market and not in a store “exactly on purpose” due to suspicion, was changed 15 days ago, adding that the union headquarters is next to the Ministry of the Interior, on the third floor of a building with several neighbors. .
The union leader said two other journalists from an Angolan and foreign media organization were also robbed this year and their computers were stolen.
“For the Union of Angolan Journalists, the situation would probably be episodic, eventually it would be a less important situation if it were not for the fact that, in March of this year, other journalists were assaulted in the same circumstances and their computers were taken from their homes”, he stressed. .
Teixeira Cândido pointed out that, in March, the journalist and director of the newspaper Expansão, João Armando, saw his home being robbed at night, when he was sleeping, and the thieves took two computers.
“The colleague João Armando said that he had other valuables in his office, he had jewelry, but the intention seemed to be only the two computers. Our colleague from Lusa, Raquel Rio, also saw her house robbed in March and her house was also stolen They took only the computer,” he reported.
According to Teixeira Cândido, another MFM radio colleague, Romão de Jesus, after receiving an anonymous phone call threatening him, was attacked as he was leaving the newsroom for the bus stop and they took his computer.
After the first robbery, Teixeira Cândido said he received a message asking if he had understood the warning he had been given.
“We are here in the presence of a fact that obviously reflects a practice that cannot be a crime of opportunity, because the object is only the computer and only the journalists’ house has been robbed,” he stressed.
The SJA general secretary said that this morning the SIC was at the union headquarters, “but the leadership of the Union of Angolan Journalists understood that they will hold a repudiation march this Saturday, a week ago to protest against whoever”. .
“Because we understand that our activity is legal, the exercise of unionism is in the Constitution and our activity is transparent, it is public, what we defend is freedom of the press, because without freedom of the press we do not exist as professionals. It is true that together with this we defend dignified social conditions, but our fundamental area, the foundation of our identity, which identifies us, is freedom of the press, ”he observed.
Teixeira Cândido considered that union activity “is not easy”, recounting the cases of other unionists, namely the doctors’ unions and the Supreme Court, who suffered reprisals, situations that represent “the conditioning that unionism is going through”.
“For us there is no other reading, there are several colleagues suffering the same attack and I understand that yes, we are being attacked. I continue to have faith in my colleagues who work in the union, until the investigative service tells us otherwise ”, he is stressed.
Source: TSF
