Amnesty International welcomes trial of Lesotho soldiers who shot journalist
By Staff Reporter
THE trial of five members of the Lesotho Defence Force for the attempted murder of journalist Lloyd Mutungamiri, is a welcome first step towards justice, Amnesty International has said.
In a statement issued today ahead of the first hearing slated for December 13, Amnesty International director for Southern Africa Deprose Muchena, said journalists should not live in fear.
Mutungamiri, editor of the Lesotho Times, suffered near-fatal gunshot wounds after being attacked by Sotho soldiers outside his home in Maseru on July 9 last year.
The shooting followed his newspaper’s publication of an article two weeks earlier, alleging that the outgoing Lesotho Defence Force (LDF) head, Tlali Kamoli, was to receive an exit package of approximately US$3.5 million.
“This trial needs to send a clear message that the targeting of journalists will no longer be tolerated in Lesotho. The press must be allowed to do their job without living in constant fear of reprisals,” Muchena.
“Lloyd Mutungamiri’s world has been turned upside down since the shooting. He was forced to abandon his job and flee the country. Our hope is that, through a fair, independent and impartial trial, justice is served and journalists can carry out their work in a safe environment.”
Mutungamiri was shot two times and left in a critical condition after one of the bullets shattered his lower jaw, requiring him to undergo extensive facial surgery.
A brigadier-general and four soldiers will stand trial for the attack.
On June 24 last year, the day after the Tlali Kamoli article was published, Mutungamiri and Lesotho Times reporter, Keiso Mohloboli, were interrogated by police and members of the LDF about what had been published, before being released.
Thereafter, Mutungamiri and Lesotho Times owner Basildon Peta were interrogated on July 5, four days before the shooting.
