Police justify use of live amo against demonstration.

Maputo — The Mozambican police have justified the use of live ammunition against a demonstration in the town of Palmeiras, about 70 kilometres north of Maputo, last Friday. The demonstration was against the alleged complicity of the police with criminals. People in Palmeiras claimed that thieves and rapists are arrested, only to be seen back on the streets two or three days later. Such accusations are common in Mozambique and reflect lack of public awareness of the laws governing preventive detention. The police cannot hold suspected criminals in detention indefinitely, but must bring the suspect before a magistrate within 48 hours to validate the detention. Convinced that the police were bribed by criminals, Palmeiras residents staged a demonstration on Wednesday and threw up barricades of burning tyres on the main north-south highway, which runs through the town. The local police called for reinforcements from Maputo, and in the ensuing clashes one protector was shot dead.