Maputo, 9 Dec (AIM) –Mozambican lawyer Wilker Dias, who is coordinator of the NGO “Decide” Electoral Platform, on Sunday denounced an assassination attempt by poisoning at a hotel located in central Maputo.
The organization headed by Dias has been responsible for providing legal assistance to those detained by the authorities during demonstrations called by the presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane in order to protest against the allegedly fraudulent results of the elections held on 9 October, giving victory to the ruling Frelimo party and its candidate, Daniel Chapo.
Since the demonstrations began on 21 October, Dias’s organization has been covering and denouncing Police violence against defenceless people, as well as reporting the violations of human rights.
Recently, Dias filed a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) against the General Commander of the Mozambican Police (PRM), Bernardino Rafael, and Interior Minister, Pascoal Ronda, holding them responsible for police violence at demonstrations.
According to Dias, speaking in a video broadcasted on his Facebook account, the assassination attempt took place on Friday when he drank water “poisoned with arsenic, an extremely toxic and poisonous white compound. The substance was put in my mineral water.
“After drinking the mineral water, I started to feel ill and I required the intervention of three young men, who provided first aid and helped me recover and even remove some of what I had already ingested”, he said.
The activist explained that the poison was detected in hospital, where he was assisted after the murder attempt.
“I had hospital assistance, where they detected traces in considerable quantities of arsenic, which is a toxin that, when put in water, can cause damage up to death. I’m fine, the struggle goes on and we will continue to defend human rights. As they say, I have seven lives. Two have gone, now I have five. I still have the strength to keep fighting. Let’s do it, brothers”, he said.
In addition to the poisoning of Dias, the organization also denounced the attempted kidnapping of his communications officer, which took place on Saturday in the central city of Beira.
On 19 October, Mondlane’s lawyer, Elvino Dias, and Paulo Guambe, elections agent of Podemos (Optimistic Party for the Development of Mozambique) were murdered in central Maputo.
According to “Decide”, over 90 people have been shot dead by police and hundreds injured, since the demonstrations began.
(AIM)
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