Assembleia da Republica
Maputo, 21 Mar (AIM) – The Mozambican parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, the Mozambican parliament, on Wednesday approved a government bill ratifying the extradition treaty with Rwanda.
The majority vote of the ruling Frelimo party was decisive for the resolution to be approved, since both opposition parties, Renamo and the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM), voted against it.
Introducing the bill, the Minister of Justice, Helena Kida, said the treaty is not intended to be political or to persecute opponents of the Rwandan government.
“The resolution is justified insofar as it presents the development of cooperation between the two nations in the area of justice, responding to the spirit of the general cooperation agreement signed between them in 1990, characterized by the establishment of cooperation mechanisms in matters of judicial investigation, exchange of information and documents with a view to prosecuting people involved in all kinds of criminal conduct punishable in both countries”, the minister said.
In 2022, the two countries signed an extradition agreement in Kigali, the Rwandan capital. This agreement establishes the cases and conditions for the extradition of those accused by the courts and those convicted of criminal offences in their respective states and will apply to requests made after its entry into force, even if the crimes committed or sentences passed were imposed or occurred before that date.
Extradition, under the terms of the agreement, can only take place at the request of one of the parties and subject to the respective legal provisions and other applicable national and international legislation. The agreement, said Kida, “was not signed to persecute citizens of either state, but rather to ensure that the order and security of both states are guaranteed through co-operation in this field.”
Frelimo deputy Muanarera Abdala, presenting the Frelimo vote, said the ruling party voted in favor because “we understand the importance of establishing giant steps within the framework of the general cooperation agreement between the two countries, signed in June 2022, giving more impetus to cooperation by strengthening the bonds of friendship, peace and security and promoting development between the two countries and peoples.”
“We voted in favour because our country is a signatory to several international conventions and treaties and has encouraged agreements that provide the basis for this form of cooperation”, she said.
She also said that the Frelimo party voted in favour because the two countries have “excellent bilateral relations and our defense and security forces have been relying on close collaboration with Rwandan troops in the fight against terrorism, whereby the enemies of the people and of development have been unleashing criminal actions since 2017.”
This is a reference to the fight against islamist terrorism in the northern province of Cabo Delgado, where a contingent of Rwandan troops and police have provided critical assistance to the Mozambican forces.
For his part, Renamo deputy Mohamed Iassine justified his vote against the resolution by saying that “we voted against it, and we would do so as many times as necessary, out of respect for article 20 of the Constitution of the Republic, which says that Mozambique grants asylum to foreigners persecuted because of their struggle for national liberation, democracy, peace and the defense of human rights.”
“It’s no secret that most of the Rwandans who are in Mozambique, were persecuted and continue to be persecuted by the dictatorial regime in Rwanda. Some were killed here in Mozambique and there is no doubt that the murders were carried out by the Rwandan regime”, Iassine claimed.
For his part, Silvério Ronguane, from the MDM, said “we voted against to save Mozambique’s name from those who want to associate our country with regimes that do not privilege the safeguarding of human rights and credible judicial systems.”
“We don’t accept being coerced into signing agreements through kidnappings, killings and threats. We voted against, denouncing the fact that the Mozambican government, once a champion of the fight for justice and the defense of the poor, has now become a friend and partner of oppressive regimes”, he said.
He added that the Minister of Justice had not explained how many Mozambicans would benefit from the agreement, “because it only benefits the Rwandans.”
Kida insisted, however, that the agreement could not be used to settle accounts between Rwandan politicians. There are clear procedures for extradition, she said, and any extradition request had to be properly grounded.
Nobody could be extradited for something that is not a crime under Mozambican law, Kida added, “and after we reach the conclusion that it is also a crime in our country, we have to see what penalties are applicable. This is not done automatically”.
When discussions on an extradition treaty began, Rwanda still had the death penalty, which delayed signing any agreement. Kida said the treaty could only be reached after Rwanda abolished the death penalty, which she believed guaranteed that nobody extradited to Rwanda would be sent to their death.
(AIM)
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