The Mozambican news agency, AIM, reported that the case had serious implications for press freedom since Arouca had demanded damages of no less than 25 billion meticais (about US $2 million), a sum which would have bankrupted the paper and forced its closure.
Arouca took exception to an opinion article written by Gabriel Simbine, a prominent member of the ruling Frelimo Party. In the article, which appeared in Domingo in May 1998, Simbine responded angrily to claims made by Arouca that the founder and first President of Frelimo, Eduardo Mondlane, had been killed by the left wing of Frelimo.
Several articles refuting Arouca's thesis had appeared previously in the Mozambican press, but AIM reported that Simbine's article also called into question Arouca's anti-colonial credentials, and suggested that he shared the fascist ideology of Portuguese dictator Antonio Salazar. Arouca filed libel suits against Simbine and Domingo, as well as the company that publishes Domingo, Sociedade de Noticias SARL, and Editores Associados, the company that manages the paper.
The director of Domingo, Jorge Matine, established his defence based on press freedom. He said that Domingo pages were open to a variety of opinion, and it was not the paper's business to censor those who wrote opinion articles. The court in Maputo's first urban district agreed. Giving his verdict on 17 June, the judge declared that Simbine's article fell within "the scope of freedom of expression and of political debate" and therefore did not constitute libel.
Arouca's legal counsel indicated that they would appeal against the verdict.
MISA
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