Paris-Geneva-Maputo,
September 29, 2023 – Following a mission in Mozambique carried out
in May 2023, the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights
Defenders (a joint programme of FIDH and OMCT) and the Mozambique
Network of Human Rights Defenders (RMDDH) launch today a note on the
situation of human rights defenders and civic space in the country.
Ahead of municipal and general elections, the protection of human
rights defenders should be at the centre of priorities for national
authorities and the international community.
Renowned
human rights defender Dr. Anastácio
Matavel
was brutally murdered in Xai-Xai, Gaza Province, on October 7, 2019,
one week before the general elections, which he was due to observe.
This tragic event, among many other attacks and threats against, and
repression of human rights defenders in the country, is considered to
be a direct attack on civil society in its pursuit of legitimate
election monitoring activities.
Four
years later, with the municipal elections to be held on October 11,
2023, and the general elections to be held in 2024 fast approaching,
the situation of human rights defenders remains critical, as impunity
of perpetrators of human rights violations remains high, and as space
for civil society continues shrinking. These are some of the findings
of a field mission conducted by the Observatory for the Protection of
Human Rights Defenders at the end of May 2023 in Maputo, Mozambique,
which are made public today in the note “Silenced voices. Attacks
Against Civil Society and Human Rights Defenders in Mozambique”.
“The
operating environment for human rights defenders in Mozambique is
highly challenging. They constantly face defamation, threats,
physical attacks, and even killings. Impunity for cases of crimes
committed against human rights defenders, is sadly common practice.
Land and environmental rights defenders, in particular, pay a heavy
price in their fight against the extractive industry, such as in the
Cabo Delgado Province“,
said Alice Mogwe, President of FIDH and Director of DITSHWANELO - the
Botswana Centre for Human Rights.
The
report highlights, among other trends of repression, the threat to
freedom of association constituted by the currently discussed Draft
Bill on the Creation, Organisation and Operation of Non-Profit
Organisations, the de
facto discrimination
against LGBTQIA+ organisations, which have been persistently denied
legal register for decades, or the violent repression of peaceful
demonstrations, as was the case for the marches in honour of rapper
Azagaia
last March.
“I
do hope that in the coming days and months, ahead of Mozambique 2024
general elections, we will see positive steps be taken towards human
rights defenders such as concrete measures to prevent attacks and
harassment against them; the promotion of positive narratives around
the key role they play in society; and the creation of space for
dialogue and cooperation between them and the authorities; among
others“,
added Gerald Staberock, Secretary General of OMCT.
“Our
beloved friend Anastácio Matavel paid the ultimate price for
recognising that democracy isn't won by simply sitting in a chair; it
requires taking to the streets and fighting for communities to have a
voice. It's for him and others who made such sacrifices that we
persist in the struggle today—for the respect of human rights, to
honor their memory, and most importantly, to bolster the
determination of those who wake up every morning, ready to ensure
others can exercise their rights”
said Prof. Adriano Nuvunga, Chairman of the RMDDH and Executive
Director of the Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CDD), FIDH
member organisation in Mozambique.
Read
the full note in English
and Portuguese
on FIDH website, English
and Portuguese
on OMCT website.
Press
contacts:
FIDH:
Maxime Duriez – mduriez@fidh.org
; +33 6 48 05 91 57 OMCT:
Claire-Marie Germain : cmg@omct.org RMDDH:Sheila Nhancale-sheila.nhancale@redemoz-defensoresdireitoshumanos.org;
+258 843755155.
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