Mozambique: Adriano Nuvunga is not afraid of death threats – DW

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Mozambique: Adriano Nuvunga is not afraid of death threats – DW

3:45 CAT | 09 Oct 2020

Adriano Nuvunga, executive director of the Centre for Democracy and Development and social activist

Mozambican activist Adriano Nuvunga, director of the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), is not intimidated by the anonymous threats he received on Wednesday. Civil society leaders call for state intervention to stop the violence.

CDD executive director Adriano Nuvunga says that the death threats he has received only motivate him to work harder for the development of Mozambique.

“I don’t know if it’s arm wrestling, but what we have to do is [continue] to make our contribution as citizens,” he says. “There are many others who want to do this and do not have the opportunity, but we have, and we are doing it. We give our best, we give our contribution so that the country continues to grow,” he adds.

Adriano Nuvunga received an anonymous call on Wednesday (07-10) telling him that there was a bomb in his residence. It was a false alarm, Nuvunga says, and what must be done now is to continue to defend the most disadvantaged.

“We will continue to do this work and protect the most vulnerable, defend human rights and contribute to fighting corruption and promoting transparency,” he asserts. “We believe that this is important so that we can have a shared prosperity and collective growth in Mozambique.”

Activists call for the state to intervene

Mozambican social activists are calling on the government to put a stop to the threats.

“Clarifying cases of [criminal] threats and violence against members of civil society will discourage those responsible. As long as the government has such lists of unanswered cases, there will be room for this practice to flourish,” Jorge Matine, executive director of the Citizen’s Observatory for Health (OCS), said.

In turn, social activist Paula Monjane, executive director of the Civil Society Learning and Training Center (CESC), suspects that the “system” is behind this situation.

“The initiative – civil society is creating a network of human rights defenders – will to some extent facilitate the claim that rights are not being violated,” she believes.

Journalists and members of civil society in Mozambique have for some time been complaining of persecutions and death threats, portraying them as a violation of freedom of expression and the press.

Source: Deutsche Welle