"Although they entered clandestinely and remained illegally" in Mozambique, the law provides for "a limitation to expulsion" when there is "suspicion that by returning the person to the country of origin they may suffer persecution" in the country of origin, said at a conference Senami general director, Fulgêncio Seda.
"We have to respect this situation", he said, adding: "Hence, subsequent steps will be taken to determine whether these Angolan citizens are suffering from political persecution".
Eugénio Quintas, known as Man Gena, and his wife, Clemência Suzete Vumi, pregnant, along with two minor children, are "under custody" of Senami "safely", with the corporation "providing all the necessary support, above all, food", said Fulgêncio Seda.
The family entered clandestinely across the Ressano Garcia border, in February, "without any documents", after fleeing Angola, complaining of persecution, after Man Gena denounced the involvement of Angolan elites in drug trafficking networks.
Senami said, for now, it was waiting for a response to a letter sent to the Angolan embassy to confirm the family's nationality, as one of the steps in the investigation process.
Meanwhile, the Attorney General's Office (PGR) sent a note to Senami requesting that the family not be expelled until investigations are completed, reported Mozambican television channel STV.
The Mozambican Bar Association (OAM) on Thursday urged the authorities to comply with international conventions on "refugees", in the case of Man Gena and family.
"The Mozambican State is a signatory of international conventions and protocols and what is asked at these times and always is that these legal instruments are scrupulously complied with", Vicente Manjate, responsible for the Human Rights department at OAM, told Lusa.
An official source told Lusa in Luanda, on Wednesday, that the Angolan authorities have not made any extradition requests, although there are criminal proceedings against Eugénio Quintas.
Man Gena gained notoriety in recent weeks when he used the YouTube channel to make several reports about drug trafficking in Angola, with alleged involvement of political elites and authorities.
The allegations led a parliamentary commission to question the Minister of the Interior, Eugénio César Laborinho, who rejected any involvement of high-ranking security forces.
