Five suspects held over murder of Catholic bishop in Zambézia, Mozambique
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Agência de Informação de Moçambique
Le nombre de suspects détenus pour le meurtre de Mgr Osório Citora Afonso, évêque du diocèse de Quelimane, dans la province de Zambézia au Mozambique, est passé de quatre à cinq, dont deux prêtres catholiques, un gardien du diocèse et deux civils. La détention préventive a été prolongée à douze mois pour identifier les auteurs matériels, selon le procureur en chef de la Zambézia, Fred Jamal.
The number of suspects held over the murder of Osório Citora Afonso, bishop of the diocese of Quelimane, in Mozambique's central province of Zambézia, has risen from four to five, according to the Mozambique Information Agency (AIM). The bishop, who was also apostolic administrator of the archdiocese of Beira, in Sofala province, was shot dead last June with an AKM-type firearm.
Among the suspects are two Catholic priests, a guard employed by the diocese of Quelimane and two civilians. Zambézia's chief prosecutor, Fred Jamal, said on Thursday that the investigation is continuing, in particular to identify the material perpetrators of the murder. "The extension of the preventive detention period gives us more time to do our work properly, since it has been extended to 12 months," he said during Legal Awareness Day.
Fred Jamal called on civil society organisations and the public to join the proceedings so that the authorities can shed light on the case. The announcement comes after the Catholic Church's call for a swift investigation, issued on 29 September.
