Mozambique Elections: MDM members acquitted of kidnapping charges in Beira

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Mozambique Elections: MDM members acquitted of kidnapping charges in Beira

2:43 CAT | 18 Oct 2023

MDM political delegate in the city of Beira, Picardo Sola, and MDM delegate for the province of Sofala, Marcelino Manhoso, were both acquitted yesterday. [Photo: O País]

A court in Beira this Tuesday (17-10) cleared the two members of the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM) charged with kidnapping a member of the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo) during the local election campaign.

Judge Tomé Valente of the first section of the City Judicial Court said the acquittal was “due to insufficient evidence” and ordered the release of both men.

The judge added that during the collection of evidence and interrogation it was not proven that the defendants had been the perpetrators of the crime of which they stood accused and that they were not even present at the time of the events, at the start of the campaign for the local elections in that municipality.

The MDM delegate in the province of Sofala and another in the city of Beira – whose municipality is led by that party – were accused of the kidnapping and illegal detention of a member of the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo, in power), found allegedly collecting voter cards in the Munhava neighbourhood.

Both were arrested on September 27th when they went to a police station in Beira to clarify the case.

A third member of the MDM, the president of the MDM Youth League of the Province of Sofala, had been detained on suspicion of involvement. He was arrested on the following day, September 28th, when he went to the police station to speak to his detained colleagues. However, the court considered his detention illegal and excluded him from the case.

The MDM was on Saturday announced the winner of the municipal elections in Beira, the only municipality out of 65 where an opposition party won, with the victory in all the others being attributed to the governing Frelimo party, although this is strongly contested.

In these sixth municipal elections, 4.8 million Mozambican voters chose representatives in 65 municipalities, including 12 new municipalities which joined the 53 already existing.

In the 2018 municipal elections, Frelimo won in 44 of the 53 municipalities and the opposition in just nine – Renamo in eight and MDM in one.

Source: Lusa