Pupil shot dead during demonstrations

Maputo, 22 Nov (AIM) – The Mozambican anti-corruption NGO, the Centre for Public Integrity (CIP), claims that the police shot dead a pupil, on Thursday, in Moma district, in the northern Mozambican province of Nampula, during demonstrations called by presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane to protest against the allegedly fraudulent result of the general elections held on 9 October.

According to the CIP report, the Police, in coordination with the ruling Frelimo party, have also been working to identify those who lead the demonstrations in Maputo neighbourhoods.

“This has continued since the demonstrations began, and uses Frelimo neighbourhood secretaries, heads of 10 houses, community leaders, and other influential Frelimo figures. The supposed protagonists or leaders of the demonstrations will subsequently be the target of kidnappings and assassinations”, says the organization.

According to the report, a student from the Eduardo Mondlane University was kidnapped last week and held captive by Mozambique’s National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) for 24 hours.

“The kidnappers were driving a black car. They overpowered him and put him in the car. They blindfolded and gagged him. The kidnappers had all the information about the student. They knew he was one of the protesters at the university residence. He was interrogated and tortured. The kidnappers told the student that they had been ordered to kidnap and murder him”, reads the report.

The organization believes that there are many other young people, including members of civil society who have shown support for the demonstrations, “who could be kidnapped and murdered in the same way.”
“The student only escaped death because one of the kidnapping policemen was from Nampula, the province where the student is also from”, the note adds.

The wave of demonstrations – which also aim at protesting against the murders of Mondlane’s lawyer, Elvino Dias, and of Paulo Guambe, an election agent for Podemos (Optimistic Party for the Development of Mozambique) – has been taking place since 21 October.

According to CIP, during the four phases of demonstrations over 60 people have lost their lives as a result of the security forces’ disproportionate use of force.
(AIM)
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