Maputo, 12 Feb (AIM) – The Mozambican Police (PRM) has detained a social activist, named Joaquim Pachoneia, in the northern City of Nampula, for allegedly inciting violence and insulting the Mozambican President, Filipe Nyusi.
The activist, who belongs to the Resilient Minds Association, was arrested after leaving his home at around 4am on Saturday.
According to a report in Monday’s issue of the Independent Newsheet “Carta de Moçambique”, citing local sources, the police officers, who detained the activist, did not present any arrest warrant.
“A woman, allegedly a member of the PRM, requested his taxi service to accompany her to Nampula International Airport. Once there, Pachoneia was surprised to be surrounded by PRM officers, who immediately detained him without any explanation and took him to the city’s police station, where he was deprived of communication”, a source said.
“His mobile phone was seized after a call to his friend, Amade Armando, asking him to pick up his car. When he realized what had happened, his friend went to the airport to seek clarification, but the PRM did not provide any information about the activist’s whereabouts, claiming they didn’t know where he was”, the source added.
After travelling to various police stations, as well as to the Provincial Command, they were unable to locate Joaquim Pachoneia. Hours later, after news of his arrest circulated on social media through a complaint from other social activists, the police were forced to give their version of events.
“At 8.45am on 10 February 2024, on the premises of Nampula International Airport, Joaquim Pachoneia, also known as Jota, was arrested because he had been systematically producing videos, which he had been sharing on social media, specifically WhatsApp, inciting the Mozambican population, and Nampula in particular, to act violently against state institutions ”, Dércio Samuel, police spokesman in Nampula, told reporters.
According to Samuel, in the videos, the activist was influencing young people to violence, and was insulting the President.
(AIM)
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