Good afternoon. It has been at least six months since the violent protests sparked by last year’s Mozambican general election died down. But although the police may have stopped shooting protesters, the Mozambican state is continuing to victimise its opponents. As Venâncio Mondlane, opposition politician and figurehead of the protests, points out, there are thousands of people still imprisoned who were arrested during the demonstrations, who have yet to be charged, let alone tried. He was speaking after the acquittal on Monday of several leading supporters of his, who had spent several months in prison.
The full Daily Briefing continues below for Pro subscribers. Subscribers to the Zitamar News tier can read the top half, including the full leader article, here.
In principle, it can be legal to keep people in prison for extended periods of time in Mozambique. The law makes special provision for crimes against state security, of the kind of which Glória Nobre, a financial aide to Mondlane and one of those acquitted on Monday, was accused. However, to extend a captive’s time behind bars, prosecutors need to go to a judge and give reasons why they should stay in detention. Has this been done for everyone still in prison? Unlikely.
