Mozambique: Amnesty for protesters ‘illegal’ – president

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Mozambique: Amnesty for protesters ‘illegal’ – president

4:53 CAT | 23 Jun 2025

Photo: Presidency

The president of Mozambique, Daniel Chapo, said on Friday that the request by former presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane to grant amnesty to those detained during the post-election demonstrations currently requires a legal framework, calling on everyone to respect the law.

“The framework is unnecessary because parliament has approved the law, and we will conduct the inclusive national dialogue based on that law, which all members of parliament approved by consensus,” said the Mozambican president on the sidelines of the launch of the book “Annotated Constitution of the Republic of Mozambique” in Maputo.

At issue is the repeated demand by former presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane for amnesty for all those detained during the post-election protests, one of the points reviewed at the second meeting with the President of Mozambique on 21 May, as the politician had previously stated.

At the first meeting, on 23 March, Mondlane had also said that one of the agreements reached with the Mozambican head of state was to grant pardons to those detained in the context of the protests: “Is this what the people want? Does this support Mozambique? Is this good for the people?” he asked on that date.

“Both sides now agree that a peaceful resolution is essential,” he added on that date.

In statements to journalists today, Daniel Chapo called for respect for the law on political dialogue, with a view to the state reforms approved by the Mozambican parliament, recalling that “the law applies to everyone.”

“The lawmakers approved the law, and we believe that matters outside the law require separate legal frameworks; we must understand that.” I am referring to the legal framework, which is why we must work towards conducting an inclusive national dialogue within the law. Since the legislature has already passed the law, we believe it is important for all Mozambicans to respect the Constitution and also to respect the law of political commitment to inclusive national dialogue,” Chapo said.

Venâncio Mondlane, who rejects the results of the 9 October elections, led the most significant challenge to the election results since the first multiparty elections (1994), with protests in which around 400 people lost their lives in clashes with the police, according to data from civil society organisations. Authorities recorded several arrests across the country.

The protests also resulted in looting and destruction of businesses and public infrastructure.

Mozambique’s government has confirmed at least 80 deaths, in addition to the destruction of 1,677 commercial establishments, 177 schools and 23 health facilities during the demonstrations.

On 5 March, Mozambican parties with seats in parliament, as well as in municipal and provincial assemblies, signed a political commitment with the President of Mozambique, aimed at state reforms. The Mozambican parliament subsequently passed the commitment into law.

On 23 March, Mondlane and Chapo met for the first time, and they also committed to ending post-election violence in the country. They met again on 21 May with an agenda to pacify the country.

Source: Lusa