The President of the Mozambican Association of Judges (AMJ) urges the Police of the Republic of Mozambique (PRM) not to use lethal bullets against peaceful demonstrators, but to opt for proportional means of dispersal, in order to preserve the lives of citizens.

According to Esmeraldo Matavele, the police must act within the current legal framework, even if the demonstrations reach violent levels, not least because demonstrating is a right enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic that citizens have and are free to express their feelings

"The police have to stop using real bullets. They should use tear gas when they are faced with an attitude that jeopardizes public order and never use real bullets," he warned, quoted by the News.

However, Matavele recognizes that a violent protester who throws stones at a commercial establishment or loots someone else's property belongs in jail and should be tried accordingly.

"So our appeal is to both sides: the people and the police, to act in accordance with the law. No one should join any violent demonstration, obstruct access routes, destroy public and private institutions, because this is a crime and is punishable, liable to sanction," he said.

Matavele also urges the police to use proportional means to avoid bloodshed as a result of shooting someone with real bullets.

"We have, for example, the case where the police are facing a protester who is carrying a machete. We've seen some images of citizens, the so-called Naparamas, who appeared with machetes in their hands, and the police weren't going to stand down. In these cases, the police must, and this is the case everywhere in the world, react to immobilize the person. But if, instead of marching, someone is vandalizing other people's property, they should be arrested and prosecuted in an exemplary manner," he said.