Mozambique: Woman sentenced to 30 years in prison for kidnaping two children in Beira

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Mozambique: Woman sentenced to 30 years in prison for kidnaping two children in Beira

3:42 CAT | 20 Jul 2022

Photo: O País

The Judicial Court of Sofala Province on Tuesday (19-07) sentenced a woman to 30 years in prison for kidnapping two children in Beira and receiving 45,000 meticais in ransom.

The court found Fátima Rosina Chossana guilty of kidnapping at the end of last year, at different times and under different circumstances, two children aged three and seven years old, in the Munhava neighbourhood in the city of Beira, demanding 50,000 meticais ransom for each minor.

After negotiations, the parents of the children finally paid 20,000 and 25,000 meticais.

Investigations carried out at the time culminated in the arrest of Fátima Chossana, whose trial ended on Tuesday in conviction without extenuating circumstances, despite her confession.

“In view of the above, the panel of judges assigned to the sixth session of the Judicial Court of the Province of Sofala, after having proven the facts, unanimously decides, on behalf of the Republic of Mozambique, to sentence Fátima Chossana to a single sentence of 30 years of imprisonment. Compensation in the amount of 200,000 meticais is also fixed, of which 100,000 meticais in favour of each of the victims for the material and immaterial damage caused,” the sentence handed down by the judge in the case, Martinho Mucheguere, reads.

Judge Mucheguere expressed concern about the recent spread of kidnapping across all social strata.

“It’s not the kind of kidnapping we were used to hearing and trying. This fact means that even those who sell tomatoes in the Maquinino market can be kidnapped. It is quite deplorable what we have followed in this case kidnapping for insignificant amounts. Even when high amounts are at stake, it is a real deterioration of our social fabric,” the judge complained.

“The situation is very serious,” he went on. “When this is the case, our only weapon to discourage this type of situation, is to apply the maximum penalty, even if the perpetrators of this type of crime recognize that they have made a mistake. Because kidnapping is a very humiliating way to treat a human being.”

Three other defendants on trial over attempted kidnapping

Meanwhile, the trial of three citizens detained by SERNIC about two months ago as part of preventive work associated with kidnapping has begun in the same court.

The three co-defendants are indicted for the attempted kidnapping, frustrated by the authorities, of a citizen of Asian origin. Two houses allegedly to be used as places of captivity and a vehicle to transport the victim were seized by the authorities in Beira, according to the prosecution.

In the first day of trial, the co-defendants denied all the charges and claimed that their confessions contained in the case file had been obtained through torture. The next court session will take place within 10 days and will hear the depositions of the SERNIC agents who participated in the detention of the co-defendants.

Source: O País