The President of the Provincial Council (CP) of the Mozambican Bar Association (OAM) in Niassa, Celso Mendonça Diogo, was brutally physically assaulted and threatened with death by agents of the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) yesterday, Thursday, in the district of Mecanhelas.

In a note of repudiation of the OAM's representation, the vice-president of the CP says that the PRM's act constitutes a violation of fundamental rights, as well as an affront to the free exercise of the legal profession.

The document does not state the reasons or describe the circumstances in which Celso M. Diogo's physical and life-threatening injuries occurred, but merely states that they were "during his activities".

"Violence against a lawyer in the exercise of his activities compromises not only his physical integrity, but also the rights of the citizens he represents," reads the note signed by Elísio Verniz Dauce.

In this regard, the lawyers demand that the competent authorities, especially the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Ministry of the Interior, investigate the case "ensuring that those responsible are punished".

The document states that the OAM itself will take the appropriate measures against the PRM agents involved in the attack and to hold the state responsible.

"We demand that preventive measures be taken so that the dignity and safety of all lawyers are respected and preserved throughout the country," it reads.