Authorities Should Respond to Demonstrations by Respecting Rights
Mozambique's election commission today declared Daniel Chapo and his ruling party Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frente de Libertação de Moçambique, Frelimo) winners of the country's October 9 general elections. The elections were marred by political killings, widespread irregularities, and restrictions on freedom of expression and assembly.
International observers, including the African Union, European Union, and the Commonwealth, have raised serious concerns about the credibility of the electoral process and have called for a thorough investigation into allegations of election irregularities.
Tensions have increased dramatically since voting day, with Venâncio Mondlane, an independent candidate supported by the leading opposition party Optimistic People for the Development of Mozambique (Partido Optimista pelo Desenvolvimento de Moçambique, Podemos), asserting he won the presidential election.
Mondlane urged his supporters to stay home Thursday and Friday this week to protest what he called a fraudulent electoral process. News reports indicate that many people are participating in the nationwide shutdown, resulting in the closure of banks and supermarkets and a significant reduction in street traffic.
Earlier this week, police fired tear gas to disperse demonstrators protesting alleged electoral fraud and the killing of two prominent opposition figures in the capital, Maputo, on Friday night. Numerous protesters and journalists were injured by tear gas canisters. In the lead-up to the elections, police had committed widespread abuses against civil society activists and journalists, including harassment, threats, assault, and arbitrary arrests and detentions. So far, police abuses reported to the authorities prior to election day remain unaddressed and unprosecuted.
The Mozambican authorities' repeated crackdowns on free expression and association ahead of and during the October elections have severely undermined the credibility of the electoral process. Authorities should take steps to end police abuse of protesters and ensure respect for people's right to peacefully protest election outcomes.
The international community should press the newly elected government to ensure cases of electoral violence and other human rights violations are promptly investigated and those responsible are fairly held to account. All victims of abuses, whatever their political affiliation, are entitled to justice.
Zenaida Machado, Senior Researcher, Africa Division
