Opposition deputies reject Ombudsman’s report – Mozambique

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Opposition deputies reject Ombudsman’s report – Mozambique

8:54 CAT | 21 Oct 2016

File photo / Parliament

Mozambique’s ombudsman, Jose Abudo, on Thursday came under fire from opposition deputies who regarded the report he gave to the country’s parliament, the Assembly of the Republic, as incomplete and superficial.

Members of the rebel movement Renamo complained that he had not investigated the “death squads” which are allegedly assassinating Renamo members, while Armando Artur, of the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM) noted that Abudo’s report said nothing about “the violation of political freedoms”.

Deputies of the ruling Frelimo Party, while welcoming the report in general, were not pleased that it took no stand towards the insurrection currently being waged by Renamo gunmen. Calling the Renamo militia “enemies of peace”, Frelimo deputy Alice Caetano said that “by attacking health units, they are violating human rights”.

Renamo deputy Francisco Campira claimed that Abudo was “not independent and impartial”, and complained that he had not asked the Constitutional Council to declare as unconstitutional the hidden loans guaranteed by the previous government, headed by President Armando Guebuza. (Campira forgot that Abudo’s report covered the period from April 2015 to March 2016, and the concealed loans only became public knowledge in April 2016).

Ana Paula Cordeiro of Frelimo noted the poor attendance at meetings held by the Ombudsman and the small number of complaints Abudo’s office had received. “Citizens don’t know about the Ombudsman”, she said, and suggested that his office needs representation at provincial and district level (currently Abudo’s staff are all concentrated in Maputo).

Abudo rejected suggestions that he was following government orders. “The Ombudsman’s office is independent”, he declared. “No holder of any state office has imposed decisions on me”.

As for “death squads”, he rejected the term, and preferred to speak of “organized crime”. What he knew was that “organized crime commits murders, kidnapping and other crimes, and the relevant bodies are working to solve these crimes” (he did not name these bodies, but presumably he was referring to the police and the Public Prosecutor’s Office).

Renamo deputies had asked whether the Renamo members killed “do not have the right to life”. Abudo replied that “all citizens have the right to life, regardless of their political party affiliation”.

He claimed he did not previously know about the “violations of political freedoms” mentioned by the MDM – which is strange, given that the MDM has vociferously and repeatedly denounced attacks against its members and offices.

Source: AIM