Africa-Press – Mozambique. Mozambican judges on Thursday again asked the government for “minimum security” for the profession, calling for “priority attention” and suggesting the creation of a police “section” to protect magistrates.
“The president of Mozambique, as commander-in-chief of the Defence and Security Forces, must create conditions in the short term to ensure that judges have minimum security,” said the president of the Mozambican Association of Judges (AMJ), Esmeraldo Matavele, on the sidelines of a symposium marking Mozambican Judges” Day, celebrated yesterday in Maputo.
The first appeal for security by magistrates was made to Mozambican President Daniel Chapo on Monday (May5 2025), when the profession called for a “short-term response” to the problem.
He said, “It is important that judges receive priority attention” so that they can be at the forefront of defending citizens,” which could be compromised by the security problem, which is currently “not good.”
“We have cases of judges being kidnapped, we have cases of judges being assaulted and robbed. When we report to the police, for example, in the case of robbery, what the police do is send two officers to ensure they will provide security for two days, three days, and then they leave, and the judge goes back to living in fear,” he explained.
In response, the president of the AMJ advocates the creation of a section for the protection of magistrates within the unit for the protection of individuals (UPAI), a police unit responsible for protecting some members of Mozambique’s government.
“A kind of section could be created at the level of each province to deal specifically with security problems involving judges and prosecutors,” he said.
Matavele also argues that, through “coordination” between the defence and security forces, this unit could “in the short term” guarantee the safety of judges.
“Of course, we cannot have a police officer for every judge; it is not possible in the current situation,” he acknowledged, stressing the importance of having “a team available for any situation” that is reported. “So that we no longer hear the response that we don’t have enough staff,” he added.
During his meeting with the judges on Monday, President Chapo promised reforms in the justice system, intending to strengthen the sector in the fight against various types of crime.
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