Mozambique: Human rights federation condemns threats against NGO activist.

Mozambique: Human rights federation condemns threats against NGO activist.

File photo: DW

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) on Tuesday condemned alleged threats to Mozambican activist Adriano Nuvunga, demanding a “rapid investigation into the case”, the organisation said in a statement.

On the 15th, Adriano Nuvunga, director of the non-governmental organisation (NGO) Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) found two AK-47 bullets, one of which bearing his name, in the backyard of his residence, he told Lusa.

“Surveillance cameras show that the bullets were thrown into my residence by two men, who then ran away. This was around 05:00 [minus one in Lisbon] on Monday morning,” he said.

In the statement, FIDH demands that the clarification of the episode be “swift, open and transparent” and that the perpetrators be “brought to justice”.

Noting that the activist reported the incident to the National Criminal Investigation Service (Sernic) in due time, the international organisation noted that “regrettably Mozambique has an unfortunate history of impunity for attacks against human rights defenders”.

“ This macabre act takes place within the context of increasing closure of civic space and attempts to block the activities of civil society organizations in the country,” reads the statement.

The incident, it continues, also demonstrates a growing pattern of alleged politically motivated violence against Professor Nuvunga.

The organisation recalls that in 2020 the activist received threats through anonymous phone calls from three unidentified persons, who said that a bomb had been been planted at his home.

“We therefore urge the security forces in Mozambique to promptly and impartially investigate this matter, as all these incidents cannot be looked at in isolation.,” says FIDH.

The human rights activists note that the threat to Adriano Nuvunga’s life comes at a time where he has been critical of the manner in which the government is responding to the ongoing social unrest in the country, as a result of the worsening economic situation in Mozambique.

As well as being director of the CDD, Nuvunga is one of the most vocal and critical voices in Mozambican civil society, has also directed the Centre for Public Integrity (CIP) and is a professor of political science at the Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM), the oldest higher education institution in Mozambique.

Source: Lusa