Court postpones trial of accused of “act of rebellion” in Cafunfo for a week

According to Salvador Freire, who this Monday was present at the court in the district of Chitato, in Dundo, capital of Lunda Norte, for the closing arguments, "at the last minute" it was communicated that the trial was postponed until next Monday.

"They didn't justify it, they just told us that the prosecutor had to leave for a municipality, which is why he postponed the trial," Salvador Freire told the Lusa news agency.

The lawyer pointed out that the trial is in the allegations stage, followed by the questions stage to make the judgment. Salvador Freire said he believed the sentence could be handed down in "another week or a few more days."

"We believe that everything will work out for the best, because more than ever it has not been proven that these are the leaders of the demonstration and that Zeca Mutchima was the one who organized the demonstration", he stressed.

The leader of the Portuguese Protectorate Movement Lunda Tchokwe (MPPLT), José Mateus Zeca Mutchima, responsible for the incidents in Cafunfo, which caused deaths and injuries, on 30 January 2021, has been detained by the Criminal Investigation Service since 8 February 2021. 2021, indicted for the crimes of "association of malefactors and armed rebellion".

According to the police, about 300 people linked to the MPPLT, which for years has defended autonomy in that region rich in mineral resources, tried to invade, in the early hours of January 30, 2021, a police station in Cafunfo, and in defense the forces of order and security killed six people.

The police version is contradicted by the leaders of the MPPLT, political parties in the opposition and local civil society, who speak of more than a dozen deaths.

Zeca Mutchima is appointed by the authorities as the leader of this alleged "act of rebellion", which for local citizens was a "peaceful demonstration".

The Public Ministry (MP) accused Zeca Mutchima and 25 protesters involved in protests in Cafunfo, in an order, for committing crimes of outrage against the State and its symbols and association of criminals.

The Public Ministry's order states that the co-defendants and others, in a composition of 400 people, belonging to the so-called MPPLT, armed with firearms, of the AKM type, shotguns, arrows, irons, sticks, cutting instruments, handcrafted explosive devices, forks (fisgas), small axes, machetes and statues of superstition moved to the premises where the police station in Cafunfo operates, with the aim of occupying it.