Maputo, 28 Sep (AIM) – The Inhambane provincial court, in southern Mozambique, on Wednesday sentenced a police agent to 13 years imprisonment for disobedience and inciting a coup d’etat.
The police officer, whose name was not given in the media reports of the trial, is a member of the Rapid Intervention Unit (UIR – the Mozambican equivalent of the riot police).
The prosecution accused the officer of transmitting WhatsApp messages, urging other members of the police to rebel against delays in receiving their wages.
The messages also threatened “to stop the country” and to “take the commander-in-chief out of Ponta Vermelha”. (The commander-in-chief is President Filipe Nyusi, and Ponta Vermelha is the presidential palace in Maputo).
The prosecution asked for the maximum sentence of 30 years, in order to dissuade others from using social media to foment coups. The judge, however, said that the maximum sentence he could apply was 24 years –and he only ordered a jail term of 13 years.
During the trial the accused denied that he was the author of the WhatsApp message. He said he had merely transmitted it to the General Commander of the police, Bernadino Rafael, with the intention of warning him.
He thought he had the duty to inform Rafael, and insisted “I am not the author of the message”.
As the judge was reading the sentence, the accused fainted, and had to be revived by a court official.
(AIM)
Pf/ (243)