Mozambique: Lawyers accuse Luanda court of vetoing judiciary mission

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Mozambique: Lawyers accuse Luanda court of vetoing judiciary mission

7:00 CAT | 10 May 2025

File photo: O País

The Mozambican Bar Association (OAM) on Friday criticised the cancellation of the debate promoted by its Angolan counterpart on the electoral package, describing the decision of the Luanda Court of Appeal as a “veto on the mission of the Angolan judiciary”.

“This weak decision is a veto on the mission of the Angolan judiciary, which cannot function as a “system of expediency”, especially when the self-destruction of fundamental freedoms is at stake,” the OAM said in a statement.

At issue is the decision of the Luanda Court of Appeal, which ordered the suspension of the National Dialogue on the Electoral Legislative Process in Angola, a debate scheduled for Thursday. The court ruled in favour of a group of six lawyers who claimed that the Angolan Bar Association (OAA) did not have the competence to promote this type of event.

“The suspension of this event represents an unacceptable setback in efforts to consolidate the rule of law and democracy in Angola and the African continent. The right to associate, debate and contribute to improving a country’s legal system must be respected and encouraged, not censored or silenced,” the Mozambican lawyers argue.

The debate was intended to encourage “reflection on the electoral legislative package” currently under consideration in the National Assembly, with various segments of civil society.

“The OAM expresses its strongest condemnation of this measure, as it seriously attacks freedom of expression, the autonomy of professional associations and the fundamental right to democratic debate on matters of public interest, such as the electoral legislative process. Moreover, the legislative power does not have a monopoly on legislative development, which is also the responsibility of responsible citizens, as only democracy demands a lot from its citizens. Laws are the product of a democratic process,” it added.

Among those taking part in the debate were former OAA president Luis Paulo Monteiro, the coordinator of the Angolan Political and Social Observatory (OPSA), Sérgio Calundungo, the coordinator of the Angolan Electoral Observatory, Luis Jimbo, activists Luaty Beirão and Cesaltina Cutaia, journalists such as Reginaldo Silva and Teixeira Cândido (former president of the union), television commentators Bali Chionga and José Pakisi Mendonça, and researchers Cesaltina Abreu and David Boio.

“The Mozambican Bar Association expresses its unconditional solidarity with the Angolan Bar Association, the organisers, speakers and participants scheduled for the event, encouraging them to persevere in their mission to defend democratic values, legality and social justice. Courage is needed in a profession where freedom is its highest ideology,” concludes the statement from the Mozambican lawyers.

The OAA also promised to file a complaint against the judge “for violation of the duties of impartiality, reasonableness and respect for the constitutional limits of jurisdiction” and acknowledged that it would appeal to the Constitutional Court “given the failure to apply constitutional rules relating to fundamental freedoms and the status of the Bar Association”.

Source: Lusa