Maputo, 9 Jan (AIM) – A prominent Mozambican NGO, the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), has accused the head of the Maputo department of penitentiary operations, Roque Xavier, of facilitating the illegal release of inmates to murder political figures.
According to the CDD report, Xavier is responsible for releasing Julião Munguambe and Edson Cassiano Sílica from the Top Security prison in order to murder the lawyer Elvino Dias and the election agent Paulo Guambe.
Dias was the lawyer and legal advisor of the presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, backed by the Optimistic Party for the Development of Mozambique (Podemos), in the general elections held on 9 October. Dias and Paulo Guambe, a Podemos election agent, were shot dead in central Maputo on 19 October.
“The CDD on Wednesday filed a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) against the head of the Penitentiary Operations Department (DOP) of the Top Security Prison and two inmates for evidence of their involvement in the murder of Elvino Dias and Paulo Guambe”, reads the report.
The CDD claims that the double homicide occurred during the same timeframe that the DOP head authorized the irregular release of the inmates and ordered the destruction of records related to their movements.
“Preliminary information suggests that inmates Julião Ruben Munguambe and Edson Cassiano Lacerda Sílica, both with a history of involvement in serious crimes, were released and armed to execute these murders”, says the organization.
Edson Sílica, was previously a member of the police death squad responsible for the murder of social activist and human rights defender Anastácio Matavel on 7 October 2019, shortly before the general elections of that years.
We know of the existence of this police death squad because the murder of Matavel went wrong, and the culprits were discovered.
The death squad that gunned Matavel down consisted of five people, all of them members of the police force. They might never have been identified if the murder had gone to plan. But their escape vehicle was involved in a serious traffic accident as they tried to speed out of the southern city of Xai-Xai. Two of the assassins (Nobrega Chauque and Martins Wiliamo) died in the crash, two (Edson Silica and Euclidio Mapulasse) survived and were arrested, and the fifth (Agapito Matavele) is a fugitive believed to be living in South Africa.
The members of the death squad were sentenced to prison terms of between three and 24 years.
The CDD notes that in the assassinations of Dias and Guambe. “The victims were shot 25 times at close range in what appears to be a planned and extremely violent execution. This connection between the irregular actions of the DOP Head and these heinous crimes highlights severe issues within the management of Mozambique’s penitentiary system and raises questions about possible complicity in actions that undermine the rule of law”, reads the report.
The CDD has called for an urgent and independent investigation to establish the responsibilities of Roque Xavier and of Silica and Mungumbe.
“They must be held responsible for the murders of Elvino Dias and Paulo Guambe”, demanded the CDD. “We demand disciplinary and criminal accountability for DOP Head Roque Xavier”.
There could hardly be a more serious accusation against a senior prison officer than that of releasing a convicted murderer in order to commit another political assassination.
(AIM)
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