The Inhambane provincial court in southern Mozambique this Wednesday sentenced an agent of the United Nations Rapid Intervention Unit (UIR), the country’s police force, to 13 years in prison for inciting a coup and insubordination.
The court noted that the amount of crimes charged to the agent is punishable by a minimum of 24 years in prison, but decided to make a “special reduction” for unspecified reasons.
The convict lost consciousness after the verdict was announced, but regained consciousness after being revived by a court official.
Mozambican prosecutors accused the UIR agent of broadcasting messages via the social network Whatsapp, mobilizing other police officers to revolt against corporate salary delays and threatening to “remove the Commander-in-Chief (Mozambican President Filipe Nusi) of Ponta Vermelha (the official residence of the head of state),” as well as “country stop”.
“To prevent others using social networks from disseminating messages promoting coups d’etat, we ask for a sentence of 30 years in prison,” the prosecutor said at the trial of the defendant.
During the trial, the defendant evaded authorship of the message, indicating that he forwarded it to the General Commander of the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM), Bernardino Rafael, with the intention of giving him a warning.
“I just received the message and, as a member of the PFP and sworn to defend national sovereignty, as soon as I saw it, I forwarded it to the Commander General. I am not the author of the message,” the defendant said.