Hopewell Radebe
30 April 2008
Johannesburg — POLICE in Mozambique are torturing and killing people "with near total impunity", human rights watchdog Amnesty International says in a report released yesterday.
"In almost all cases of human rights violations by police -- including unlawful killings -- no investigation into the case and no disciplinary action against those responsible has been undertaken, nor has any police officer been prosecuted," the report said.
Deputy director of Amnesty International's Africa Programme Michelle Kagari said in the report the country's police "seem to think they have a licence to kill and the weak police accountability system allows for this".
The "shoot-to-kill" mentality apparently has the state's backing under the guise of fighting terrorism or reducing the high levels of violent crime.
The Mozambican embassy in Pretoria declined to comment.
The report, entitled Licence To Kill, comes a fortnight after SA's Deputy Safety and Security Minister Susan Shabangu told police in Pretoria to "kill the bastards (criminals) if they threaten you or the community. You must not worry about the regulations."
Police figures show that nearly 20000 people are murdered in SA every year.
The report acknowledged that Mozambican police were facing numerous challenges stemming from high crime rates, a backlog of criminal cases in the judicial system and occasional violence against police by criminals.
"These have led to pressure from the public for the police to deal with the crime decisively and forcefully."
The report said policemen were increasingly responding to these challenges by using "excessive force", including the unlawful killing of suspects.
"There have been many cases where excessive use of force by the police has resulted in death."
It said Mozambican police were also responding to communities practicing their right to lawful protests by shooting at people.
On February 5 , police fired live ammunition at people demonstrating against increased transport fares in the city of Maputo, killing at least three and injuring 30 others, including those hit by stray bullets. Police also fired at demonstrators in the provinces of Inhambane and Gaza on February 11.
A police spokesman said live ammunition was used because some officers were "caught by surprise" by the demonstrators.
Amnesty also documents several incidents of police torture.
On August 14 police allegedly abducted Abrantes Afonso Penicela from his home, gave him a toxic injection and drove him to a secluded area where they beat him until he lost consciousness. Although he managed to tell police what had happened before dying of his injuries, no one has been arrested for his murder.
Amnesty's Kagari says police officers must be made aware that "they cannot torture, beat and kill with such impunity", and must be held accountable.
The report recommends a revision of police codes of conduct to bring them in line with international standards, and pre-emptive measures taken to protect citizens' rights.
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