Police and protesters did not respect constitution

Maputo, 11 Apr (AIM) – The Mozambican ombudsman, Isac Chande, believes that neither the police nor the protesters respected the constitution and the law during the post-election tension characterized by mass demonstrations called by the former presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane to protest against the fraudulent results of the elections held last October.

The demonstrations started peacefully but later degenerated into rioting, looting, and destruction of private and public infrastructures. According to a report by the NGO “Decide” Electoral Platform, over 380 people were shot dead by police during the demonstrations.

According to Chande, who was speaking on Thursday, in Maputo, at the opening of a round table discussion entitled “Re-establishing Dialogue and Trust between Citizens, Police and Justice in the Context of Post-Election Demonstrations”, there was a lack of commitment to respect the constitution and the law by both the Police and the demonstrators.

“The promoters of the demonstrations acted legitimately and on the basis of their constitutional rights. But the police, as the body responsible for security and public order, still seems unaware or unprepared to deal with this new reality, which we can’t turn a blind eye to”, said Chande.

“We are fully convinced that the problems we are experiencing when it comes to exercising the right to freedom of assembly and demonstration are partly the result of a lack of voluntary compliance with the law, on the part both of citizens and of the police”, he said.

For his part, the Police first deputy commissioner, Fabião Nhancololo, said that the authorities had not been informed about the demonstrations that took place all over the country after the general elections.
“We’ve all sometimes seen calls for demonstrations via social media and other means. There was a lack of communication, both from the administrative authorities and the police”, he said.

The event was organized by the Institute for Multiparty Democracy (IMD), in partnership with the Ombudsman’s Office and the National Human Rights Commission.
(AIM)
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