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Mozambican lawyers repudiate “consolidation” of police violence
9:14 CAT | 15 Sep 2020
Photo Courtesy of Ordem dos Advogados de Moçambique / Facebook page
The chairman of the Mozambican Bar Association (OAM) yesterday condemned the “consolidation” of police violence against Mozambican citizens, saying that abuses committed by the authorities were becoming “structural”.
“Police violence and excessive use of force by agents of the Police of the Republic of Mozambique and, more recently, also the Municipal Police, have ceased to be occasional, and are tending to become structural and consolidated,” said Duarte Casimiro.
The chairman of the Mozambican Bar Association criticised the conduct of the police authorities in a speech on Lawyer Day in Mozambican Lawyer Week, saying that police excesses violated human rights enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic.
To help contain police violence, he continued, the OAM was monitoring and investigating violations with a view to providing legal and judicial assistance to hold the perpetrators accountable and compensate the injured parties.
“We call on the Ministry of the Interior for greater openness and collaboration reverse this scenario together,” Casimiro said, alleging that the country was witnessing “clear and evident signs of an imminent setback in the protection of fundamental rights and guarantees”.
The return of the wave of kidnappings, attacks on freedom of the press and of expression , as well as violence against human rights protection activists, including lawyers, were milestones in the deterioration of fundamental rights in the country.
“Each of us, as a member of society and as a lawyer, must redouble our efforts and be more vigilant in order to protect with tenacious resistance and responsibility the broad core of rights that the Constitution confers upon all citizens,” he said.
The OAM chairman also denounced alleged intimidation and harassment by magistrates of lawyers who challenge judicial decisions, pointing out that these actions undermine the independence of lawyers.
“The lawyer, being a fundamental part of the justice administration system, needs to be guaranteed all the institutional conditions for the exercise of the profession,” he stressed.
Mozambican Lawyer Day and Week mark the anniversary of the OAM, which was created on September 14, 1994, and is now 26 years old.
Source: Lusa
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