The parliament approved this Thursday, in specialty, the revision of the law on the specific regime of the fight against terrorism, with the votes in favor of Frelimo, the ruling party, and against Renamo, the main opposition party.

According to Lusa, the Democratic Movement of Mozambique (MDM), the third party, abstained in the vote on the norm, maintaining a position it had already taken in the general vote on Wednesday.

The Mozambican National Resistance (Renamo), with 60 of the 250 deputies in the chamber, voted against the law, as it opposed the eight to twelve year prison sentence imposed "on those who intentionally disseminate information that a terrorist act has been or is likely to be committed, knowing that the information is false.

"We want the proponent [of the law, the government] to remove paragraph 2 of article 19 and the rest remains because, in fact, the law is timely," said Arnaldo Chaláua, MP and spokesman for the Renamo caucus.

On Wednesday, the non-governmental organization Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) had already criticized that article, even considering that it violates the constitutional precepts on freedom of the press and freedom of expression.

"This provision is rather subjective and subject to various interpretations as to the notion of falsity of the information conveyed about a presumed terrorist action," MISA noted in a statement.

The MDM bench, with six seats in parliament, considered some aspects of the law a step backwards for the democratic rule of law, pointing out that the norm represses fundamental rights and liberties.

"We do not approve, on behalf of Mozambique, because we believe that together and cohesively we represent the hope of democratic and developed Mozambique where everyone has a voice," said Silvério Ronguane of the MDM.

The revision of the specific regime for preventing and combating terrorism comes at a time when the natural gas-rich Cabo Delgado province is terrorized (since 2017) by armed rebels, with some attacks claimed by the extremist group Islamic State.