Tired of constant abuse and prohibition in public and peaceful demonstrations, Mozambican social activists are preparing consensus for the elaboration of a Popular Action Law, seen as a way to force the State to be more tolerant with civic manifestation.

Civil society organizations are alarmed by what they call the tightening of the siege on civil rights in Mozambique. The portrait drawn by social activists shows a completely bad picture.

"Despite the Constitution of the Republic being a defender of human rights and the right to public demonstration, we have witnessed, several times, the violation of this principle, by some state institutions" says Domingos do Rosário, social activist.

One of the most worrisome aspects is the right to demonstrate, which encounters time and again, reprehension by the police.

Feroza Zacarias, social activist and member of the Human Rights Commission at the Mozambican Bar Association, even says that Mozambicans are silenced.

"We are no longer demonstrating, except for political purposes" describes the activist to VOA.

In recent months, examples that demonstrate an aversion of public institutions to popular demonstrations are not lacking.

"We saw this when the drivers wanted to demonstrate, we saw it again with the vendors at the fish market, where the police were there to repress" recalls Adriano Nuvunga, executive director of the CDD.

To strengthen civic rights and citizenship for the right to demonstrate, social organizations are mobilizing for the creation of a Popular Action Law, seen as the solution to remove the remaining barriers.

"A popular action law must unequivocally be an instrument of citizenship. It is an instrument that can allow a direct participation of the citizen in the life of democracy" argue the human rights activists.

An initiative of this kind was in parliament about two decades ago, but ended up dying a premature death. This time, the idea is to hand it back to the legislators, to see if it gets off the ground.