MOZAMBIQUE: POISONING OF JOURNALIST MUST BE INVESTIGATED

Dear Prosecutor General,

I am writing to express deep concern for Mozambican journalist Selma Inocência Marivate, 42, who on July 27 reported that she may have been the victim of a toxic metal poisoning during a work visit to Maputo, Mozambique in March 2025.

On March 2, Selma Inocência Marivate traveled from Germany, where she resides and works, to Maputo to facilitate a one-week training for local journalists. While still in Mozambique, she reported sensing that her safety may have been compromised, prompting her to leave the country on March 6, earlier than planned. Shortly after returning to Germany, she began experiencing serious health issues. After several inconclusive tests, a toxicological analysis carried out in Berlin confirmed heavy metal intoxication, including mercury, cadmium, uranium, and thallium. Medical reports described the presence of certain substances as being in “physiologically inexplicable concentrations”. Selma Inocência Marivate is currently undergoing chelation therapy, the standard treatment for heavy metal poisoning. She remains in a critical situation, unable to work or pursue her studies. As it is most likely that the suspected poisoning took place in Mozambique, the Mozambican authorities must urgently investigate the case.

I urge you to ensure a prompt, independent and impartial investigation into the suspected poisoning of Selma Inocência Marivate is carried out, with a view to hold those responsible to account. I further urge you to publicly condemn any attacks or threats against journalists and human rights defenders in Mozambique, ensuring that press freedoms and more broadly the right to freedom of expression is respected and protected.

Yours sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]