Mozambique intends to strengthen the protection of journalists, establish the right to conscientious objection and professional confidentiality, limit media ownership concentration and set a 35% ceiling on foreign ownership in media organisation.
The new legal framework, which the Information Office (GABINFO) began presenting publicly on Friday in preparation for the implementation of the Press and Media Law (Lei da Comunicação Social), includes Law No. 19/2026, which replaces Law No. 18/91, in force since August 1991, seeking to bring the sector “into line with the current legal and constitutional framework and technological advances”.
The new law, which will come into force in December, expressly broadens the concept of a press and media organisation to include publications of an informative and journalistic nature that distribute content exclusively online, formally bringing digital media within the sector’s legal framework.
The guarantees of press freedom include “the right to inform and be informed without interference or censorship”, “editorial freedom and freedom in determining the information policy of media organisations” as well as “the independence of journalists in the exercise of their professional duties, including the right to conscientious objection and professional confidentiality”.
The new legislation also establishes protection against “any form of pressure, intimidation, persecution or reprisal for the exercise of journalistic activity” and prohibits “any administrative, judicial, economic or other measure aimed at arbitrarily imposing conditions on or limiting the operation of legally constituted media organisations”.
It also stipulates that no public or private entity may prevent or restrict the gathering, circulation, transmission or dissemination of journalistic content, except in cases expressly provided for by law, and provides for the introduction of a Journalist’s Press Card.
In the business sphere, the new legislation applies competition protection rules to the sector and prohibits “the concentration, by a single entity, of ownership of more than one media organisation belonging to the same category or editorial speciality”, with the aim of preserving “free competition, editorial diversity, impartiality and pluralism of information”.
It also stipulates that direct and indirect foreign capital participation “may only occur up to a maximum proportion of 35% of the share capital”.
All media organisations will also be required to adopt an editorial charter defining their orientation and objectives, while organisations with more than five journalists must have an Editorial Board.
Directors and those responsible for editorial and programming matters must be Mozambican, resident in the country and in full enjoyment of their civil and political rights.
In the chapter on professional rights, the law recognises media professionals’ right to decent working conditions, protection of their physical, moral and psychological integrity, freedom of expression and editorial activity, access to sources of information of public interest, conscientious objection, professional confidentiality and protection against pressure and reprisals.
Professional confidentiality will receive specific protection, with the law establishing that media professionals have the right to confidentiality regarding the source of information they publish or transmit, and that their silence “may not be used against them as a presumption of guilt or an aggravating factor”.
The new legislation establishes rules for the accreditation of foreign correspondents, limits the number to two accredited professionals per foreign media organisation, makes prior registration of media organisations mandatory, and strengthens the regime governing the right of reply and correction.
The legislation introduces rules on civil and criminal liability for published or broadcast content, provides for the closure of companies and media outlets operating without registration, and classifies as clandestine publications made available to the public without complying with legal identification requirements.
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