Amnesty International’s deputy director for eastern and southern Africa says police must refrain from attacking protesters and avoid involving violence in peaceful demonstrations.
Amnesty International (AI) condemned this Sunday the actions of the Mozambican police during a march in Maputo in honor of the social intervention rapper Azagaia, considering it a violation of the right to freedom of assembly and an “outrageous” act.
“The forceful response by Mozambican police to these peaceful protests, including beating protesters with batons and injuring them, is an outrageous act of police action against defenseless protesters,” says Emerlynn Gil, AI’s Deputy Director for Eastern and Southern Africa. , in a statement sent to newsrooms.
Amnesty International denounces the “arbitrary arrests”, as well as the use of tear gas and attacks on protesters, verified in the police response with the intention of “disparaging the legacy of Azagaia”, constitute “a violation of the right to freedom of assembly”. .
“There is no doubt that the police intended to repress the demonstrations, with the intention of belittling the legacy of Azagaia,” he says, considering that the actions of the police forces, which can be seen beating the protesters in the “several videos sent to Amnesty International and shared on various social networks, are a worrying pattern of reckless and illegal tactics against people” during the protests.
Emerlynn Gil further states that the police should refrain from attacking protesters and avoid engaging in violence in peaceful demonstrations.
In this context, AI argues that the authorities must “promptly” investigate the police officers who detained and beat the protesters and ensure they are held accountable for violating their rights and international law.
This Saturday, the police blocked the participants of the march in the city of Beira, halfway, despite having assured on Friday that they had authorization to carry out.
A police source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told reporters that, however, orders had been received not to hold the march.
Before the blockade, tempers flared and there were confrontations with physical attacks, without shots, which resulted in the arrest of at least three participants, said a source from the organization.
The other groups that were going to join the march did not leave the meeting point, at the Munhava intersection, at the entrance to Beira, from where they would go down to Praça 03 de Fevereiro, in Ponta Gea, a prime area of the city .
In addition to Beira, marches were scheduled in other cities in honor of the artist called “people’s rapper”: Inhambane, Xai-Xai, Quelimane and Nampula.
On Tuesday, the funeral in Maputo brought together thousands of people, but the procession was blocked by armored vehicles and heavily armed police at a point along the route that would pass in front of the official residence of the President of the Republic.
There were moments of tension and tear gas was even fired to disperse the crowd, which had to resort to an alternative route.
With a career spanning more than 20 years, the ‘rapper’ became famous for his open criticism of governance in Mozambique and for giving voice to the problems of the population, to such an extent that in 2008 he was even questioned by the Attorney General’s Office for the Republic (PGR).
The rhymes were not broadcast on public radio and television, and deputies from the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), in power since independence, pointed to him as an interpreter for the opposition.
Azagaia, the artistic name of Edson da Luz, died on Thursday, at the age of 38, at his home, after an epileptic attack, according to the artist’s family.
Source: Observadora
