Police violence against twenty women human rights defenders and members of the Women’s Observatory
On 7 December 2021, twenty well-known women human rights defenders and members of the Women’s Observatory were attackd, of whom 18 wre arrested, during a peaceful protest in front of the Palace of Justice, in down-town Maputo. The protest was violently shut down by the Mozambique Republic Police (PRM), with officers reportedly beating protesters. The defenders were arrested and released later the same day.
The Women’s Observatory is a coalition of NGOs that works to protect women against gender based violence. The Women's Observatory aims to promote a broad, permanent and safe space for reflection, influence and monitoring of the situation of women in Mozambique. It aims at creating a space capable of fairly representing women, as well as effectively allocating resources to respond to their diverse demands and realities.
On 7 December 2021, twenty well-known women human rights defenders and members of the Women’s Observatory were attacked, of whom 18 were arrested, during a peaceful protest in front of the Palace of Justice, in down-town Maputo. The protest was violently shut down by the Mozambique Republic Police (PRM), with officers reportedly beating protesters. The defenders were arrested and released later the same day.
The Women’s Observatory is a coalition of NGOs that works to protect women against gender based violence. The Women's Observatory aims to promote a broad, permanent and safe space for reflection, influence and monitoring of the situation of women in Mozambique. It aims at creating a space capable of fairly representing women, as well as effectively allocating resources to respond to their diverse demands and realities.
On 7 December 2021, twenty well-known women human rights defenders were participating in a peaceful demonstration in front of the Palace of Justice, in down-town Maputo. The demonstration was organised in the context of the United Nations campaign “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence”. Its aim was to demand justice for all victims of femicide. The protest was violently interrupted by the PRM that reportedly began to beat protesters and arrest the women human rights defenders, who also suffered injuries. 18 of the defenders were subsequently detained at the 18th PRM police station in the city of Maputo, despite the police being aware of the legitimate purpose of the initiative. They were released later that same day due to the presence of the press and of civil society organisations’ representatives at the police station. The PRM justified the arrest by claiming that the protesters did not have the authorisation to organise the demonstration, despite the existence of Article 52 of the Constitution of the Republic of Mozambique and Article 3 of the Law of Demonstrations expressly protecting the right of civilians to peacefully assemble without requiring authorization.
Front Line Defenders is deeply concerned by the violence exerted against the twenty women human rights defenders, the illegal suppression of their freedom to assemble, their arrest and their detention. Front Line Defenders believes that these women were targeted as a result of their peaceful and legitimate work in defence of human rights.
