The Mozambican Council of State in June suspended Venâncio Mondlane’s immunity to allow the criminal proceedings against him before the Supreme Court to continue, a decision made public after the announcement that he had been notified of his trial in connection with the post-election protests.
The measure is contained in Deliberation No. 1/CE/PR/2026, of 10 June, confirmed by Lusa on Friday, according to which the Council of State decided on the “suspension of the immunity of Venâncio António Bila Mondlane, member of the Council of State, for the purpose of proceeding with case No. 52/2025-P, which is following its legal course” before the TS.
It adds that the decision was taken at an ordinary session on 10 June.
The public disclosure of this deliberation in recent hours comes after Mondlane announced on 25 August that he had already been notified by the Supreme Court that he would stand trial in connection with the post-election protests, and that he was accused of five crimes, including disobedience and incitement to terrorism.
“This year we will have Venâncio Mondlane’s trial. In the next two or three months. It is scheduled,” he said, assuring that he had already been notified.
“It is the first case in the history of a presidential candidate who will be tried by the Supreme Court [because he is a State Councillor] on charges of incitement to terrorism,” he said at the time, stating that he was “ready, calm and prepared for this battle”.
The 10 June meeting of the Council of State had been made public through a statement, but without any reference to this deliberation suspending immunity to allow the proceedings to continue.
At the time, it was reported that members of the Council of State had considered matters related to governance, institutional stability and national development, advocating the deepening of the Inclusive National Dialogue and the promotion of social cohesion.
Mondlane, who has also publicly shared this deliberation in recent hours, describes it as “null and void”, arguing that the Council of State “has no legal competence to suspend the immunity of its members”, and may only “decide on the suspension of the member for the purpose of proceeding with a criminal case and not on the withdrawal of immunity”.
He adds that, as the charges include terrorism offences, their seriousness and sentencing framework would dispense with any intervention by the Council of State for the judicial proceedings to continue.
In the case, the Public Prosecutor’s Office (PGR) accuses him of having called for a “revolution” during the post-election protests, causing “panic” and “terror” among the population, holding him responsible for the deaths that occurred and for plunging the country into “chaos”.
According to the indictment obtained by Lusa, the evidence rests largely on calls for opposition, strikes, stoppages and mobilisation for protests made by Mondlane through live broadcasts on social media.
Venâncio Mondlane, a presidential candidate in 2024, never recognised the election results, which gave victory to Daniel Chapo, candidate of the Mozambique Liberation Front (Frelimo), but, as provided for in the Constitution, in September 2025, as the second-most voted candidate, he was sworn in as a member of the Council of State, an advisory body to the President of the Republic whose members are granted immunity.
The Public Prosecutor charges the politician with the crimes of public advocacy of crime, incitement to collective disobedience, public instigation to commit a crime, instigation to terrorism and incitement to terrorism, with a sentencing framework that could exceed 20 years of effective imprisonment.
Mozambique experienced a period of intense social unrest between October 2024 and March 2025, marked by protests and stoppages called by Mondlane, who rejects the election results that gave victory to Daniel Chapo.
According to non-governmental organisations, more than 400 people died in clashes with the police, which also resulted in the destruction of public and private property, looting and other acts of violence.
