By Ricardo Dias
Maputo (MOZTIMES) – The Mozambican activist Wilker Dias has just begun criminal proceedings against the Minister of the Interior, Pascoal Ronda, and the General Commander of the Police, Bernardino Rafael, for the violent repression of demonstrators which has caused over 50 deaths, and hundreds of injuries.
In the legal document that Wilker Dias delivered on Thursday to the Attorney-General’s Office (PGR), he pointed out that “the State is responsible for the illegal acts of its agents, in the exercise of their duties (…) this being the case, those complained against, in their capacities as Minister of the Interior and General Commander of the Police, must be held responsible”.
In this 80-page document, to which MOZ TIMES has had access, Dias states that the various units of the Mozambican police (PRM) “violently repressed the demonstrations throughout the country”.
On 25 October, at the start of the demonstrations, “the Police stated that they had arrested 300 people”, a number which rose until it reached 3,000, said Dias.
Although the demonstrations were peaceful, the Police did everything to ensure that “hundreds of citizens” saw their rights “disrespected and violated”, he added.
The document sent to the PGR contains photographic evidence showing police agents armed with AK-47 assault rifles, pistols, tear gas launchers and live ammunition. There are also photographs of the victims.
The deputy commander of the police, Fernando Tsucane, appeared and said he was “proud” of the police actions, while the Minister of the Interior declared that demonstrations “are suspended”.
“This is terrorism. When they say they want to reach Ponta Vermelha (the official residence of the President of the Republic), what does this mean? It means removing the bodies that were democratically established, and this is serious”, said the Minister. He was referring to alleged plans of the demonstrators to occupy Ponta Vermelha on 7 November. Ronda said the “dosage” of the measures to halt the marches “must be in line with the illness of the patient”.
The demonstrations were called in the context of a post-election crisis, in which one of the presidential candidates, Venâncio Mondlane, does not recognise the preliminary results announced by the National Elections Commission (CNE) which gave the Frelimo presidential candidate, Daniel Chapo, over 70 per cent of the vote. (RD)
