By Noémia Mendes
Maputo (MOZTIMES) - Opposition leader Venâncio Mondlane has accused President Daniel Chapo of failing to honour the commitments reached at the dialogue table between the two sides. Mondlane stated that the Head of State had promised to order the release of those detained during the post-election protests but has not followed through.
Mondlane spoke on Friday (27th) after attending a hearing at the Attorney General’s Office (PGR). He stated that an agreement had been reached with the President for the detainees to be released, with only the legal mechanism, whether by pardon or amnesty, left to be defined.
The opposition leader added that there had also been consensus on the need to reintegrate the detained youth through measures such as creating a support fund for small youth-led initiatives. However, those commitments have not been implemented.
“It is paradoxical that the same Head of Government is now appearing in public to say he is rejecting Venâncio’s proposal on the grounds that there is no legal basis for granting amnesty,” said Mondlane. “I don’t believe he [Chapo] has a split personality. I believe he is under pressure from within his own party (Frelimo),” he added.
According to the Decide Electoral Platform, more than 4,000 people were detained across the country during the protests against the election results.
Regarding his hearing at the PGR, Mondlane stated that he still does not know what crimes he is being accused of. “Just like in the first hearing session, I still don’t know the charges against me,” he said. (NM)
