Mozambique urged to probe police tear gasoline use at rapper’s funeral | Human Rights Information

The rights group says that riot police fired tear gasoline to disperse a peaceable funeral procession held for well-known rapper Azagaia.

A human rights group has urged authorities in Mozambique to research the alleged use of tear gasoline by police forces throughout a funeral of a well-liked rapper recognized for his essential stance towards the federal government.

Edson da Luz, generally known as Azagaia, died final week because of a sudden sickness, and his loss of life prompted vigils throughout Angola and Mozambique. In a brand new report on Thursday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) mentioned the police dispersed his supporters utilizing tear gasoline throughout his funeral on Tuesday.

It urged the federal government to probe the incident.

The funeral was held with hundreds of individuals becoming a member of the convoy carrying the coffin to the cemetery. Songs of the late singer may very well be heard in the primary streets of Maputo, the nation’s capital, as a tribute to Azagaia.

Movies on social media confirmed the gang singing Vampiros (Vampires), a track that compares corrupt leaders to vampires.

“Tu não vês, não querem saber de ti, não querem saber de ti. Vampiros. Os vampiros!”.
Até sempre mano Azagaia.
Sou privilegiado por partilhar o tempo e espaço consigo. pic.twitter.com/QlXe5vexkp

— Rafael Machalela 🇲🇿 (@rafaelmachalela) March 14, 2023

Translation: “You don’t see, they don’t care about you, they don’t care about you. Vampires. Vampires!” See you eternally bro Azagaia. I’m privileged to share time and area with you.

As folks have been approaching the president’s official residence – an space off limits to pedestrians – the police fired tear gasoline on mourners with out warning after ordering the gang to vary their route, HRW mentioned within the report.

The report additionally mentioned closely armed riot policemen and three armoured autos have been deployed to dam the gang.

HRW collected accounts of a number of witnesses and monitored the occasion by way of social and native media and noticed using tear gasoline.

“We wished to take the coffin to Michafutene [cemetery] they usually [the police] by no means advised us why we couldn’t,” a 22-year-old man advised HRW. “As a substitute, they have been nervously screaming at us and exhibiting us their weapons.”

A 26-year-old girl mentioned, “I left my home to pay homage to Azagaia, to not battle with police. We didn’t have any weapons; they’d many weapons and tear gasoline.”

In response to United Nations tips on using much less deadly weapons to implement the legislation, tear gasoline shouldn’t be used to disperse non-violent demonstrations.

HRW referred to as for a probe.

“Mozambique police liable for security and safety at funeral processions or different public gatherings ought to at all times abide by human rights requirements for using drive,” mentioned Ashwanee Budoo-Scholtz, deputy Africa director at HRW.

“An neutral investigation is required to find out whether or not officers unnecessarily rushed to make use of tear gasoline and to carry them accountable,” she mentioned.