Mozambique opposition lawyer shot dead
The lawyer for a prominent Mozambique opposition figure has been shot dead in the capital, Maputo, along with an official from the same party.
Elvino Dias was the attorney for Venâncio Mondlane, who ran for president of Mozambique representing political party Podemos in an election 10 days ago.
Dias died with fellow Podemos official Paulo Guambe when gunmen attacked their car.
“They were brutally assassinated [in a] cold-blooded murder,” said local rights group the Center for Democracy and Human Rights (CDD).
“The indications [are] that around 10 to 15 bullets were shot, and they died instantly,” said the group’s director, Adriano Nuvunga.
Another organisation, the Mais Integridade election watchdog, said the killings were designed to intimidate anyone demanding transparency in the polls.
One of the victims, Dias, died instantly, but witnesses say the other, Guambe, succumbed to his injuries hours later, and allege that police blocked his evacuation by an ambulance that had arrived at the scene to assist them.
Witnesses also allege that the police engaged in censorship and intimidation, preventing them from recording the violent scene, confiscating and damaging several phones.
The police have denied any wrongdoing, and say they will take all necessary measures to prevent any acts of vandalism, violence, or public disorder in coming days.
“Naturally, we condemn the heinous crime and assure that we are taking all measures to clarify the case,” police spokesman Lionel Muchina said on Saturday.
Tributes have been paid to Dias, described by the Carta de Moçambique news site as a “shrewd lawyer, intrepid, with the tough fibre of a fighter”. —BBC
