Mozambican judges have complained of insecurity and intimidation while carrying out their duties, recalling that they have waited ten years for an explanation over the murder of judge Dinis Silica in Maputo.
“Until then, we do not know why our colleague was killed, we do not know what happened, why it happened and who did what they did that day,” lamented Jafete Sigoto, vice-president of the Mozambican Judges Association.
The class celebrated Wednesday, May 8, Mozambique Judge’s Day, a date that coincides with the murder of that judge, who was shot dead in the center of Mozambique’s capital by unknown assailants.
At the time, Judge Dinis Silica was seconded to the criminal department of the Maputo City Judicial Court and was in charge of investigating the kidnappings that plagued the Mozambican capital.
Two years later, on April 11, Judge Marcelino Vilanculos was also killed by unknown assailants with firearms in his car in front of his home in the municipality of Matola, while he was also investigating kidnapping cases in the Mozambican capital.
“Every day we take risks because every process we take defeats the enemy. If we are alive, it is because our enemies did not understand that they should attack us, we are easy to attack,” Hafete Sigoto said.
Klass also points to the need for “an effective separation of powers” and “financial independence” of the judiciary in order to have “the conditions for complete justice.”
“We say that there are three authorities: the Assembly of the Republic, the Government and the courts. These powers must function separately and interdependently. For example, the budget of the judiciary is approved by the Assembly of the Republic, which makes no sense,” he said.
Reports of threats against magistrates in Mozambique are recurring and have already led to the Mozambican Judges’ Association submitting a proposal to the Assembly of the Republic in 2018 to revise the Statute of Judicial Magistrates to provide protection to a class that had complained of insecurity many years ago.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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