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IBAHRI condemns killing of Mozambique lawyer

The International Bar Association’s Human Rights Institute (IBAHRI) has condemned the targeted killing of the prominent Mozambican lawyer Elvino Dias, who was the legal advisor to opposition presidential candidate Venâncio Mondlane.

Dias and Paulo Guambe, the election agent of the Podemos Party that supported Mr Mondlane’s presidential bid to challenge the almost 50-year rule of the Frelimo party, were shot dead in Mozambique’s capital city Maputo on 19 October.

According to eyewitnesses, the bodywork of the car in which they were travelling was riddled with bullet holes.

IBAHRI co-chair Anne Ramberg said: ‘The IBAHRI condemns in the strongest terms the assassination of the lawyer Elvino Dias.

Precious life

“Depriving Mr Dias of his precious life simply for his choice of profession and carrying out the associated duties is unconscionable. This is an attack not only on the individual but against the legal profession in Mozambique and the rule of law.

“It is a setback for access to justice in the country and democracy. Mr Dias’s murder may have a chilling effect on other legal professionals, dissuading them from taking on human rights and politically sensitive cases.”