Mozambique: Musician accused of incitement – AIM report

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Mozambique: Musician accused of incitement – AIM report

7:12 CAT | 09 Aug 2023

Screen grab: TV Sucesso

The Mozambican Attorney-General’s Office (PGR) has announced the opening of criminal proceedings against a musician, Amandio Munhequeia (better known by his stage name “Doppaz”), for alleged incitement to commit a crime and collective disobedience.

He was arrested on Sunday, in connection with videos in which he called for the murder of President Filipe Nyusi, and issued insults against members of the President’s family.

One of the videos seen by AIM, lasting for slightly less than ten minutes, shows the 44 year old Doppaz, disheveled, wearing a bath robe, smoking a cigarette, and drinking what seems to be beer. The video is liberally laced with the English profanity “motherfucker”.

“Following the publication on social media of videos that attack the image and the integrity of the President of the Republic and members of his family, criminal proceedings have been initiated”, declared a statement from the PGR.

But the judicial authorities clearly do not believe there was a serious threat against Nyusi’s life. For, on Tuesday, a magistrate ordered the release of Doppaz against payment of bail of 60,000 meticais (about 940 US dollars, at the current exchange rate). Since that order came through too late for the bail to be paid on the same day, it is likely that Doppaz will not be released until Wednesday.

If the magistrate had believed there was a real threat to Nyusi’s life, then Doppaz would almost certainly have remained in preventive detention.

The PGR release also claimed that Doppaz is a repeat offender – however, it seems there is no report of any court sentencing him previously for the crimes of disobedience or incitement.

The PGR also urged all citizens to refrain from such crimes and from “publishing messages of this sort which may express offences of a criminal nature”.

Doppaz justified his video on the grounds that he had received a message from a member of the armed forces, requesting his support, because the soldier had not received his wages.

Speaking partly in Portuguese, and partly in English, he suggested that the military could solve their own problems, because “you’ve got the guns, you’ve got the grenades”.

No date has yet been set for any trial of Doppaz.

Source: AIM