Africa-Press – Mozambique. Mozambican President Daniel Chapo on Wednesday urged citizens not to take the law into their own hands, but to ensure that justice is done through the legally established institutions.
Speaking during the inauguration of a new law court in Chibabava district in the central province of Sofala, Chapo said that, “whenever differences exist among us, and differences will always exist, let us use the legal means to solve disputes, because we are a country of the democratic rule of law”.
“Let us opt for dialogue, even before we take cases to the courts, and never opt for violence”, he declared.
He admitted that it is normal for the victims of crime to feel anger and even to want revenge, “but trying to punish the suspects with our own hands is not the solution. If we behave like this, we will not solve the problem. Quite the reverse”, said Chapo. “This wave of violence can generate still more violence within the community, in a snowball effect, starting with the families of the victims”.
“From the moment when one group of people starts to commit crimes, supposedly to take the law into their own hands, there is the potential to attract other people to do the same. This could lead to losing control of the situation”, he warned. “When private justice is allowed, formal justice is discredited, and we run the risk of returning to the past when offences were repressed in a disproportionate manner, generating vengeance upon vengeance”.
Chapo recalled recent events when alleged thieves were seized by crowds, and were murdered, sometimes by putting a burning tyre around their necks. “Our history shows that this was completely disastrous, and on countless occasions innocent people were the victims”.
“It is in our homes, our families, and our communities where we should establish and consolidate the spirit of harmony, peace, reconciliation, forgiveness and love for one’s neighbour as a prerequisite for the peaceful solution of conflicts”, he added.
Among the tasks of the courts, he said, was “the moral preparation of citizens to respect the dignity of human life”.
He recalled a string of brutal murders, particularly of women and girls, in Sofala. The President urged special protection for children “who will be the adults of tomorrow”. Damage done to them now “will have a negative impact on their personality and hence on the social fabric”.
Chapo stressed respect for human rights, particularly the right to life. Implementing this implied “promoting greater access of citizens to legal services, which means improving the coverage of the law courts”.
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