SPAIN: TWO SPANISH PRIESTS FORMERLY IMPRISONED IN MOZAMBIQUE HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE

Record ID: 640517

  • Title: SPAIN: TWO SPANISH PRIESTS FORMERLY IMPRISONED IN MOZAMBIQUE HOLD PRESS CONFERENCE
  • Date: 27th November 1973
  • Summary: 1. GV Pan From Traffic In Madrid Street to building 0.14 2. Cu Name Plate of Missionaries 0.16 3. CU INT. Poeters on Wall (3 shots) 0.24 4. SV Priest Martin Hernandez seated talking to Pressmen (2 shots) 0.37 5. CU Hernandez talking (2 shots) 0.46 6. SV Pan Woman and man listening 0.51 7. SV Hernandez talking 0.54 8. CU Carving of woman carrying a child 0.56 9. SCU Second Priest Alfonsa Valverde Zoom out to Hernandez standing next to him 1.04 Initials SC/151 SC/215 Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 12th December 1973 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: MADRID, SPAIN
  • Country: Spain
  • Reuters ID: LVA1FXZJEJ9038L5WZ9RQFQP0G76
  • Story Text: Two Spanish Roman Catholic missionaries expelled from Portuguese Mozambique after being held in prison there for nearly two years claimed in Madrid on Monday (26 November) that their fellow prisoners were tortured.

    The two priests -- Fathers Martin Hernandez and Alfonso Valverde Leon, both aged 30 -- are missionaries of the Spanish Burgos Fathers Order. They arrived in Madrid on Sunday after a flight from Lourenco Marques, and held a news conference the following day.

    The Two priests had been held by the Portuguese Authorities in Lourenco Marques since January last year on subversion charges, accused of aiding the outlawed Mozambique Liberation Front -- FRELIMO -- and were released under a general amnesty.

    At their news conference, Father Valverde claimed that in June this year, about 400 prisoners were locked in their cells for three or four months before interrogations began. Some were tortured until they made a confession. Otherwise they spent sight days without food. The two missionaries said they were not badly treated, but had to spend 22 hours every day in their cells. They had been working at the Mucumbura Mission in the Tete province of Mozambique, and were arrested while holidaying with friends in Rhodesia.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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