Mozambique: Council of State Lifts Mondlane's Immunity

What the report says

Mozambique’s Council of State has voted to lift the immunity of Venancio Mondlane, a former presidential candidate and leader of the National Alliance for a Free and Autonomous Mozambique (Anamola), clearing the way for a criminal trial, according to AllAfrica’s report from Maputo. Mondlane is also a member of the Council of State because Mozambican law automatically gives the most recent presidential runner-up a seat on the body.

The case centers on five charges linked to post-election demonstrations that followed the October 2024 general election. The report says those protests began peacefully but later turned violent. The charges listed include public apology for a crime, incitement to collective disobedience, public instigation to crime, and instigation and incitement to terrorism.

AllAfrica said Mozambique’s Supreme Court had already issued a summons for Mondlane. The Council of State’s decision was said to follow a regular session on June 10. Mondlane rejected the move on social media, arguing the council did not have the legal authority to remove immunity from one of its own members.

The development is politically significant because Mondlane remains a prominent opposition figure and has previously framed the legal pressure against him as politically motivated. More broadly, it reflects continuing tensions in Mozambique after the disputed 2024 vote and the unrest that followed.