Africa-Press – Mozambique. The Mozambican Attorney-General’s Office (PGR) on Thursday questioned former interior minister Pascoal Ronda as part of a criminal complaint presented by civil society organizations regarding the police violence against protestors during the post-election unrest.
Mass demonstrations, called by the former presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane in order to protest against the fraudulent results of the general elections held last October, started peacefully but then degenerated into rioting and destruction.
According to the Mozambican NGO, the “Decide” Electoral Platform”, the police shot dead about 400 people while 619 others were injured by gunshots during the five months of unrest that began on 21 October.
Earlier in the week, in response to the same complaint from civil society, the PGR questioned Bernardino Rafael, the former General Commander of the Mozambican Police (PRM).
Both Rafael and Ronda avoided the media, entering and leaving the PGR headquarters through the back door, and saying not a word to the waiting journalists.
According to André Mulungo, a human rights activist representing the Centre for Democracy and Human Rights (CDD), the summons to Rafael and Ronda follow criminal complaints submitted by civil society.
“As you know we had post-election demonstrations and the police responded to the protesters with violence and brutality”, he said. “The PGR decided to question Bernardino Rafael, and now it is questioning the former Interior Minister. We also hope that other senior members of the former government may be questioned regarding the killing of civilians during the demonstrations”, he said.
The CDD called on the bodies of the administration of justice to carry out independent and impartial investigations in order to identify and hold accountable those who violated human rights during the protests.
The PGR has already announced that it has opened 31 legal proceedings against police officers in the context of the post-election unrest.
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