Maputo — Judge Dimas Marroa of the Maputo City Court declared on Thursday that he will see the current trial of six men accused of the 1999 attempted murder of prominent lawyer Albano Silva through to the end - no matter what certain newspapers might write about him.

As Thursday's session of the trial opened, he said he knew full well that some articles on the trial had been written to order (he did not say who gave the order), and an article was now being prepared "to blacken my name, using a prisoner who has already appeared in the papers".

One of the journalists involved was in the courtroom, Marroa added. That journalist had said "I'm going to burn the judge. The judge means nothing to me. And I'll never reveal my source".

"This is very sad", remarked Marroa. "Somebody who behaves like this isn't a free man".

He stressed that hostile articles in the press would make no different to his professional activities. "You can write whatever you like. I am not swayed by this sort of article", he said. "I shall see this trial through to the end. Nothing will shake me".

Marroa never mentioned any particular paper by name - but outright falsehoods about the trial have appeared repeatedly in the right-wing weekly "Zambeze", which is also one of the papers that carries propaganda from the defendants disguised as paid advertising.