The three journalists, one Mozambican and two South Africans, arrested on Wednesday (13) while trying to cover the demonstrations "against electoral fraud" in Mozambique are now free.

According to the Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CDD), they are Charles Magwiro, from Radio Mozambique, and Bongani Siziba and Sbonelo Mkhasibe, from the Nigerian channel NewsCentral Africa TV.

The CDD recalls that, in the context of the demonstrations, this was the second attack involving foreign journalists. The first was the expulsion of two CMTV journalists from Portugal. In this case, they were not arrested, but forced to leave the country.

"The arrest of the journalists is yet another direct attack on press freedom, with an impact on the right to information, a basic human right," notes the CDD.

Since the arrival of the South African journalists, all attempts to contact them had failed.

Their incommunicado detention not only took away their freedom, but also denied them the right to communicate with colleagues, family members or lawyers. 

The authorities have not provided any information about their condition or the reasons for keeping them out of contact - a worrying move that appears to be an attempt to silence international coverage of the crisis in Mozambique.