Samora Machel Jr. Says Legal Action Against Him Shouldn't Be Police's Priority

Samora Machel Júnior was responding, in a letter released on Monday, to statements by the spokesperson for the General Command of the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM), Orlando Mudumane, that the force will legally demand evidence of the alleged death of four individuals in the district of Chiúre, as claimed by Samora Machel's son in a letter published on the 19th.

In his latest response, Samora Machel Júnior states that "the priority of this inquiry, investigation, and accountability is for human lives and not for the words of someone trying to highlight the lack of justice in the face of the loss of human lives."

"A single life lost to a bullet should be of great concern. Worse when that life is a minor, whom the family raised with love and hope for their future," the letter from the son of Mozambique's first head of state reads.

Without specifically addressing the police's stance on the allegations he made, Samora Machel Júnior says the claims he made are based on "affections" and information he "constantly" receives from the province of Cabo Delgado, where the district of Chiúre is located, due to his membership in Frelimo, the ruling party, in that part of the country.

"I have been a member of the Frelimo party, active in the province of Cabo Delgado for its respective brigade, for over ten years. Because of my role, I have developed affections and constantly receive information from the province. Some of the information is of lament, some is asking for help, and some is of crying and despair, as was the case in Chiúre," he states.

Samora Machel Júnior declares that he remains steadfast, calm, and determined to contribute to the construction of a Democratic Rule of Law in Mozambique.

In the letter that triggered the police's reaction, Samora Machel's son condemns the "unpatriotic acts" of Frelimo that resulted in the death of four individuals in Chiúre, in the context of the violence that occurred in the district following the local elections on the 11th.

For its part, "The Police of the Republic of Mozambique regrets, denies, and vehemently condemns information circulated on social media and subsequently disseminated by some media outlets, claiming that the Police of the Republic of Mozambique had fatally shot four individuals in the district of Chiúre, in the province of Cabo Delgado," said Orlando Mudumane, as quoted by the public broadcaster Rádio Moçambique.

Mudumane added that the authorities have a record of an accidental shooting by the police of a 19-year-old citizen on October 12th, when "they found themselves having to intervene to put an end to a serious riot led by members and supporters of political parties."

Without mentioning the name of Samora Machel Júnior, the spokesperson for the General Command of the PRM stated that the force will legally demand evidence of the alleged death of four individuals in Chiúre.

TORRE/LUSA