San Tomeans ask Guterres to intervene to ‘avoid more blood’ after death of detainees

The petition, initiated by Sao Tome political scientist Danilo Salvaterra, has garnered more than 600 signatures and calls for direct intervention by the UN secretary-general to avoid further bloodshed in the country following the deaths of four prisoners in custody.

The document, addressed to António Guterres, asks the top official of the United Nations to “intercede for the people of Sao Tome and Principe as a Member State” of the UN in order to “promote existing and effective international mechanisms” to develop an investigation allowing for a “thorough investigation facts” of the assault on the headquarters of the Armed Forces on November 25, during which four military detainees were ill-treated and died.

Launched online and with about 620 signatures by the end of the day on Wednesday, the petition asks the UN Secretary-General to use his “power of influence to prevent further bloodshed and similar violations” in Sao Tome and Prince.

“We are ‘mild-mannered people’ and would like to remain so in the future. It is certainly one of our main values ​​and one of our assets these days, so we cannot afford to lose it. We are confident that Your Excellency, as a Portuguese, will understand the anguish of our present existence,” the undersigned said in a statement.

The signatories argue that “everything possible must be done to thoroughly investigate the facts (and the corresponding criminal, political and civil liability) that led to the alleged coup attempt and led to illegal arrests, abuses, torture. and deaths.”

The petition points to possible “internal and ultimately external pressure” to “avoid as much as possible an objective, transparent and impartial investigation.”

“The nature and scale of acts of terror and persecution are completely new in our country, where a general atmosphere of fear currently prevails, due to well-founded fears of witch hunts, revanchism and attempts to use dictatorial methods, to which the current political leaders of the country have long been accustomed to this,” – he adds.

In an interview with Lusa, Sao Tome Prime Minister Patrice Trovoada this Wednesday denied any involvement in the events and accused his opponents of creating a “smoke screen”, while saying that the country’s climate is calm.

“I don’t know how a government with an absolute majority, 11 days after coming to power, with all the persons appointed by the previous government responsible for the services of the defense and security forces, is trying to carry out a coup d’état against itself. “I don’t know for what purpose,” said the head of government of Sao Tome, who is in Lisbon for meetings with national authorities.

Thus, the head of government responded to the opponents’ accusations that he was behind the events of November 25, qualified by the Sao Tome authorities as an “attempted coup” and condemned by the international community.

Following the attack on the military headquarters, three of the four attackers, as well as Arlesio Costa, a former Buffalo Battalion combatant who allegedly commanded the attack, died in military custody. show that they were the object of ill-treatment.

Last Thursday, the government of Sao Tome announced that it had filed a complaint with the prosecutor’s office to investigate the “violence and inhumane treatment” of military personnel against detainees after the attack on the headquarters of the armed forces.

On the same day, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Sao Tome and Principe resigned, condemning “acts of treason” and denouncing the “terrible facts” surrounding the deaths of the four detainees.

In the first hours after the attack, the military also detained the former chairman of the National Assembly, Delfim Neves, whom the attackers allegedly identified as the mastermind of the robbery.

Delfim Neves was released three days later, after the presence of the criminal prosecution judge at the hearing, with periodic presentation to the authorities and indication of the date proving his identity and place of residence, and denied his involvement in this act, which he called “montage” in order to incriminate him.

In addition to the ECCAS information mission already on the ground, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights will send a team to the country this week to investigate the situation of ill-treatment of detainees.