[allAfrica.com]  [The_Africa-America_Institute_Awards_Dinner]


Riot Police Accused of Abuses in Inhaminga

Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo)
NEWS
September 13, 2004
Posted to the web September 13, 2004
Maputo
The riot police are accused of imposing a curfew on the town of Inhaminga, in
the central province of Sofala, reports Monday's issue of the independent
newsheet "Mediafax".
A unit of riot police has been stationing in Inhaminga since mid-August, when
there were clashes between the police and armed members of the self-styled
"Presidential Guard" of the former rebel movement Renamo.
A source who requested anonymity told "Mediafax" that an informal curfew is in
place after 18.30. "It's not written down", this source said. "it's the
environment that leads to a curfew because many citizens don't have identity
cards, and so they prefer to remain at home, or even in the bush, until
morning". This source claimed that the riot police "give no quarter to anyone.
They beat people up, they detain people. There's no peace in Inhaminga".
If the police are indeed imposing an effective curfew in Inhaminga, this is
illegal and unconstitutional. Freedom of movement is clearly established in the
constitution, which states: "All citizens shall be free to travel inside the
national territory and abroad". This rules out any curfew, formal or informal.
As for identity cards, it is no crime not to be in possession of one. Large
numbers of Mozambican do not possess identity documents simply because they
live nowhere near a registry office.
The only specific example given in the "Mediafax" story of an attack by riot
police against citizens concerned two journalists from Mozambique Television
(TVM), Luis Magamba and Fernando Ferrao.
"Mediafax" reported that on 28 August the reporters were filming in Inhaminga,
and were threatened by members of the riot police, who forced them to wipe
clean the cassette they had been using.
A senior TVM official confirmed to AIM that an incident had happened in
Inhaminga. But the two reporters had not mentioned it to their superiors, and
so the first the Maputo headquarters of TVM knew about it was when they read
Monday's "Mediafax". TVM says it is investigating the matter. Although the
police claim that the situation in Inhaminga had returned to normal, "Mediafax"
says that many who fled the town in panic during the clashes between the police
and Renamo have not gone back.
Several Inhaminga teachers, for instance, are still taking refuge in Beira, and
have asked the provincial directorate of education to transfer them elsewhere.

   

  =============================================================================
  Copyright © 2004 Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique. All rights reserved.
             Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).
  =============================================================================