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Mozambique Elections: Police accused of assaulting lawyer in Mecanhelas
7:36 CAT | 01 Nov 2024
FILE - the victim of the police behavior was the chairperson of the Council, Celso Diogo, who was assaulted on Thursday while he was carrying out his professional duties in the district of Mecanhelas. [File photo: TV Amaramba-Moz ]
The Mozambican Bar Association (OAM) has accused the police of assaulting a lawyer and threatening him with death.
According to the Niassa Provincial Council, the victim of the police behavior was the chairperson of the Council, Celso Diogo, who was assaulted on Thursday while he was carrying out his professional duties in the district of Mecanhelas.
READ: Mozambique Elections: Five Podemos supporters shot in Mecanhelas – AIM
A note from the Niassa OAM Council described the police actions as “macabre and inhuman”, and as “a flagrant violation of fundamental rights”.
“Violence against a lawyer in the exercise of his duties compromises not only his physical integrity, but also attacks the rights of the citizens whom he is representing”, it said.
It was unacceptable that lawyers, “who have the duty to defend the law and human rights, are exposed to acts of violence from those who should work for public order and the safety of citizens”.
The OAM demanded that the authorities, particularly the Ministry of the Interior and the Public Prosecutor’s Office, should urgently take “the necessary measures for a rigorous investigation of these acts, and guarantee that those responsible will be punished”.
The OAM warns that it will take its own actions to ensure that those police officers who attacked Celso Diogo will be held criminally responsible. It will also demand civil responsibility from the Mozambican state for any damage caused by the acts “committed by criminals who happen to be functionaries of the State”.
The OAM calls for preventive measures “so that the dignity and safety of all lawyers should be respected and preserved throughout the country”.
Source: AIM
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