Social activists today accused the government of Mozambique of wanting to “control” the activities of civil society organizations and “restrict” the exercise of democracy by submitting a proposal to parliament that they say gives the executive branch undue powers.
A proposal for a law on non-profit organizations, submitted to the Assembly of the Republic, provides that the government can dissolve non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the event of alleged crimes, depriving the courts of this right, which is disputed by public figures.
“Civil society organizations link some of the clauses of this proposal to the will of the political power to control civil society,” said Edson Cortes, director of the NGO Center for Public Integrity.