Maputo — Over 100 Mozambican NGOs, represented by the Movement in Defence of the Right to Freedom of Association, have condemned the accusations made by the deputy general commander of the Mozambican Police (PRM), Fernando Tsucana, who claimed that the demonstrations against the alleged fraud in the general elections on 9 October were financed by civil society organizations and by Mozambican and foreign "individuals of bad faith.'
According to Monday's statement, the accusations made by Tsucana are unacceptable in every aspect. The NGOs considered his attitude "a veiled attack on the right to freedom of association, which fits in with the government's authoritarian drift to further stifle civic space by silencing dissenting voices.'
The statement condemns Police intimidation, "because all citizens have the right to freedom of assembly and demonstration and the enjoyment of the right to freedom of demonstration does not require support or funding from anyone.'
The NGOs consider Tsucana's accusations to be "empty', since he did not even mention the names of organizations that supposedly support and finance violent demonstrations "with the aim of subverting the established constitutional order.'
"In the recent past, civil society organizations were accused of supporting and financing terrorism in Cabo Delgado, and today they are accused of supporting and financing violent demonstrations. The defence and security forces must present concrete cases of civil society organizations that support and finance violent demonstrations', reads the note.
"By doing so, they will be ensuring that the accused organizations have the opportunity to exercise their right to a defence and to be heard in court. According to article 65 of the Mozambican Constitution, the right to a defence and to a trial in criminal proceedings is inviolable and is guaranteed to all defendants', the note explains.
The NGOs urged the Defence and Security Forces (FDS) to refrain from making "politically motivated attacks against civil society organizations and concentrate on their duties of defending sovereignty and territorial integrity, guaranteeing security, public order and tranquility, while always respecting human rights.'
The NGOs also condemn the "the barbaric actions of the FDS in the context of the demonstrations, which have already resulted in more than 60 deaths and the injury of hundreds of people.'
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The NGOs also claim that the current post-election crisis "cannot be solved with a security response, much less with narratives aimed at distracting and diverting the focus from the causes of the problem, but with frank, transparent and inclusive dialogue.'
The demonstrations that have been taking place since 21 October were called by the presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane, backed by Podemos (Optimistic Party for the Development of Mozambique), in protest against the allegedly fraudulent results of the elections held on 9 October.
