What You Need to Know
Mozambique’s Council of State has lifted the immunity of councillors Venâncio Mondlane and Albino Forquilha, allowing them to face charges related to post-election protests. Mondlane, a former presidential candidate, is accused of inciting collective disobedience and terrorism, which he denies. The Supreme Court will oversee the trial.
Africa-Press – Mozambique. Mozambique’s Council of State has lifted the immunity of councillors Venâncio Mondlane and Albino Forquilha in the case in which the former presidential candidate is accused in connection with post-election protests, the president of the Podemos party told Lusa.
“In the investigation of the case involving Venâncio Mondlane, I was also always called to respond to a number of matters, given that I am responsible for managing the registration [2024 presidential candidacy], as president of Podemos,” Albino Forquilha told Lusa.
Venâncio Mondlane said at the beginning of March that the five criminal cases in which he is accused in connection with the post-election protests have already been sent to the Supreme Court, which will try the cases, declaring himself ready for trial.
In July, the former presidential candidate was charged by the Public Prosecutor’s Office with five crimes in connection with the protests, including incitement to collective disobedience and incitement to terrorism, which he denies.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office attributes to Venâncio Mondlane “material and moral authorship, in real concurrence of offences”, of the crimes of public apology for crime, incitement to collective disobedience, public incitement to a crime, incitement to terrorism, and encouragement of terrorism.
The leader of Podemos, now the largest opposition party in Mozambique, and Venâncio Mondlane, a former presidential candidate, have been members of the Council of State since September. However, the body approved the removal of their immunity, at the request of the Supreme Court, at its meeting on 19 March, so that they may be heard in this case, a decision that has not been publicly disclosed or explained in detail to date.
Lusa contacted the Supreme Court for clarification on the purpose of the request to lift immunity, whether for the scheduling of a trial or a preliminary hearing, but without success so far.
“In fact, the Council of State agreed, and it could not have been otherwise. If we want the State to function properly, it is necessary to respect these steps. That is how it happened, and we are willing to be heard,” said Forquilha.
At the time of the swearing-in of Podemos deputies in January 2025, until then an extra-parliamentary party, Venâncio Mondlane broke ties and founded a new party, Anamola, in August.
However, throughout this period, Forquilha has been heard by the Public Prosecutor’s Office in the same case as Mondlane, given Podemos’ support in the October 2024 elections.
“In all these steps, there were a number of issues I had to respond to. (…) I have no information on that formal accusation [against Forquilha], but there are a number of elements in the case to which I must respond on behalf of the institution. I am also part of this hearing. It was in this context that immunity was lifted for both,” Forquilha added.
Venâncio Mondlane previously stated that he wished to go to trial: “Let there be a trial, which I know will be the trial of the century in Mozambique. I am ready, I will go there happily, laughing, smiling and without any remorse, I am ready.”
As provided for in the Mozambican Constitution, as the second most voted presidential candidate, Mondlane took up his seat on 1 September on the Council of State, which grants immunity to its members and which can be lifted by the body itself.
In October, Mondlane said he wanted his immunity to be lifted in order to be tried.
Venâncio Mondlane has never recognised the results of the general elections of 9 October 2024, which were followed, after the 21st of the same month — when he left the country citing security reasons — by more than five months of nationwide protests and social unrest, resulting in 400 deaths.
Daniel Chapo, who took office as Mozambique’s fifth President in January 2025, and Venâncio Mondlane met for the first time since the elections on 23 March of that year. The following day, the former presidential candidate called for an end to the violence, and no cases of social unrest linked to the electoral dispute have been recorded since then.
The political landscape in Mozambique has been tumultuous, especially following the controversial general elections of October 2024. Venâncio Mondlane, who was the second most voted presidential candidate, has consistently rejected the election results, leading to widespread protests and unrest across the country. These protests resulted in significant casualties and highlighted the deep divisions within Mozambican society regarding governance and electoral integrity. The lifting of immunity for Mondlane and Forquilha marks a significant moment in Mozambique’s ongoing political struggles, as it allows for legal accountability amid calls for justice and reform.
