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protected village, as Muarabu Shauri discovered when he returned home after several years in prison: « When I arrived at Mocimboa da Praia I found that the people - the civilian population - were concentrated in a place surrounded by barbed wire; they said it was for security reasons, and that they were not allowed to leave that place. The people behind the barbed wire were not allowed to come out, they were living like chickens.» The most notorious means of Portuguese torture is the palmatoria, a heavy piece of wood shaped rather like a large table tennis bat, but with many holes drilled into it. This is smashed on to the palms of a prisoner's hands with great force so that in a very short time the flesh hangs in shreds. There are also the usual whippings and beatings with sticks, rubber tipped truncheons, and bags filled with sand. Other methods were described by comrade Postane Penasse: «I was a tractor driver. In 1968 when FRELIMO began the armed struggle in Tete Province I left my job and went to join them. First of all I was assigned to work in the fields and produce food for the guerrillas, but shortly afterwards, in June, the Portuguese discovered what I was doing and arrested me. Together with others I was taken to a place from where we were supposed to be transferred to Lourenco Marques. But there was no space in the vehicle and some of us were told to wait. During the night I was taken for interrogation. They wanted me to tell them where the guerrillas were. I told them I had nothing to do with them, that they were not in my village, but they tortured me by sticking me with the point of a knife. They cut in one place on my leg trying to find a vein, but they did not succeed. Also, along with many other prisoners from the village where I was taken, I was tortured by having sacks soaked in salt water, and covered over my back with more salt beneath, and then beaten with sticks. However, shortly after this I managed to escape with most of the other prisoners because FRELIMO forces, having heard that we were being held there, attacked, and the Portuguese had to leave us and concentrate on defending themselves.» The • evidence of Zacarias Vanomba and Muarabu Shauri described further the treatment, both physical and psychological, meted out to prisoners held by the Portuguese. Zacarias Vanomba described how he was arrested, beaten, sentenced to forced labour, and finally released on condition that he return home to mobilise the people against FRELIMO. He told how he had been arrested on 10 September, 1961 after returning from a visit to Tanzania where he had contacted the leaders of UDENAMO (one of the exiled movements that came together later that year to form FRELIMO). He was immediately imprisoned in Mueda where he was chained up for two weeks. «From Mueda 1 was transferred to Mocimboa da Praia where we were always beaten with the palmatoria and with a whip. From there I was transferred to the PIDE prison in Lourenco Marques. After six months I was taken from the PIDE prison to a civilian prison and my case was taken to court. My case was heard in a military court on 25 July 1962 after which I was sent to the penitentiary, where 1 was subjected to forced labour for two years, until 16 February, 1964. Then the Portuguese discovered that I was having political conversations with my colleagues, and thus they deckled to transfer me back to the PIDE prison. In J 964, while still in prison, I heard about the formation of FRELIMO and joined them. I was in prison until 1969. (dn every prison 1 have passed since my first arrest I witnessed the sufferings, the beatings of people with the palmatoria and people always sleeping on the floor, At that time there were about J,000 prisoners in Machava, many of them died there.» ^ .%*. . -*~ Com. VANOMBA: ^Portuguese made i Ri-UMO soldiers diu their own graves.>>^.'% Comrade Vanomba also recalled foreign visitors to the prison. It is quite common for the Portuguese to take officials of international agencies, or journalists, around prisons, Machava in particular and show them the model conditions under which the prisoners are held. Vanomba explained what really happened on these occasions. Many foreigners came to Machava to try to visit the prisoners, but the Portuguese used to tell them lies, they would not let them see the truth. For example, I know about three important persons who had been arrested for political reasons. These were never shown to the foreigners who came. Those who were shown were the thousands of innocent people who had been arrested. They usually presented the old men who could not explain. I do not know whether these people came from the Red Cross or not, bufl do know that they were not Portuguese. ((When I was in prison I was beaten with a palmatoria and used to sleep on the bare floor. The skin on my hands is not my former skin, because that came off when I was beaten with the palmatoria.» Among the many thousands of people in prison, most of them were arrested in 1963 Ind 1964. Most of them do not know when they are going to finish their punishment when they are going to be released, and they have not
Object Description
Title | Mozambique revolution, no. 45 (1970 Oct.-Dec.) |
Description | Contents: Editorial: The coming victory (p. 1); Invasion of Guinea: The lesson for Africa (p. 3); War communique: Big offensive defeated (p. 6); Portuguese atrocities in Mozambique: Hears the evidence (p. 8); Cahora Bassa: Why we say no (p.13); The struggle in Niassa province by Niassa's military commander (p.15); Journey with a camera: British film-makers in Mozambique (p.18); Once they came with sweets and gifts: Portuguese psychological warfare (p. 20); Streamlined exploitation: Caetano calls it 'autonomy' (p. 23). |
Subject (lcsh) |
Nationalism -- Mozambique Self-determination, National Mozambique -- History Portugal -- Politics and government -- 1933-1974 |
Geographic Subject (Country) | Mozambique |
Geographic Subject (Continent) | Africa |
Geographic Coordinates | -18.6696821,35.5273465 |
Coverage date | 1961/1970-11 |
Creator | Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO) |
Publisher (of the Original Version) | Mozambique Liberation Front (FRELIMO). Department of Information |
Place of Publication (of the Origianal Version) | Dar Es Salaam, U.R. of Tanzania |
Publisher (of the Digital Version) | University of Southern California. Libraries |
Date issued | 1970-10/1970-12 |
Type |
texts images |
Format | 28 p. |
Format (aat) | newsletters |
Language | English |
Contributing entity | University of Southern California |
Part of collection | Emerging Nationalism in Portuguese Africa, 1959-1965 |
Part of subcollection | Mozambique Collection |
Rights | The University of Southern California has licensed the rights to this material from the Aluka initiative of Ithaka Harbors, Inc., a non-profit Delaware corporation whose address is 151 East 61st Street, New York, NY 10021 |
Physical access | Original archive is at the Boeckmann Center for Iberian and Latin American Studies. Send requests to address or e-mail given. Phone (213) 821-2366; fax (213) 740-2343. |
Repository Name | USC Libraries Special Collections |
Repository Address | Doheny Memorial Library, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0189 |
Repository Email | specol@usc.edu |
Filename | CENPA-344 |
Description
Title | CENPA-344~11 |
Filename | CENPA-344~11.tiff |
Full text | protected village, as Muarabu Shauri discovered when he returned home after several years in prison: « When I arrived at Mocimboa da Praia I found that the people - the civilian population - were concentrated in a place surrounded by barbed wire; they said it was for security reasons, and that they were not allowed to leave that place. The people behind the barbed wire were not allowed to come out, they were living like chickens.» The most notorious means of Portuguese torture is the palmatoria, a heavy piece of wood shaped rather like a large table tennis bat, but with many holes drilled into it. This is smashed on to the palms of a prisoner's hands with great force so that in a very short time the flesh hangs in shreds. There are also the usual whippings and beatings with sticks, rubber tipped truncheons, and bags filled with sand. Other methods were described by comrade Postane Penasse: «I was a tractor driver. In 1968 when FRELIMO began the armed struggle in Tete Province I left my job and went to join them. First of all I was assigned to work in the fields and produce food for the guerrillas, but shortly afterwards, in June, the Portuguese discovered what I was doing and arrested me. Together with others I was taken to a place from where we were supposed to be transferred to Lourenco Marques. But there was no space in the vehicle and some of us were told to wait. During the night I was taken for interrogation. They wanted me to tell them where the guerrillas were. I told them I had nothing to do with them, that they were not in my village, but they tortured me by sticking me with the point of a knife. They cut in one place on my leg trying to find a vein, but they did not succeed. Also, along with many other prisoners from the village where I was taken, I was tortured by having sacks soaked in salt water, and covered over my back with more salt beneath, and then beaten with sticks. However, shortly after this I managed to escape with most of the other prisoners because FRELIMO forces, having heard that we were being held there, attacked, and the Portuguese had to leave us and concentrate on defending themselves.» The • evidence of Zacarias Vanomba and Muarabu Shauri described further the treatment, both physical and psychological, meted out to prisoners held by the Portuguese. Zacarias Vanomba described how he was arrested, beaten, sentenced to forced labour, and finally released on condition that he return home to mobilise the people against FRELIMO. He told how he had been arrested on 10 September, 1961 after returning from a visit to Tanzania where he had contacted the leaders of UDENAMO (one of the exiled movements that came together later that year to form FRELIMO). He was immediately imprisoned in Mueda where he was chained up for two weeks. «From Mueda 1 was transferred to Mocimboa da Praia where we were always beaten with the palmatoria and with a whip. From there I was transferred to the PIDE prison in Lourenco Marques. After six months I was taken from the PIDE prison to a civilian prison and my case was taken to court. My case was heard in a military court on 25 July 1962 after which I was sent to the penitentiary, where 1 was subjected to forced labour for two years, until 16 February, 1964. Then the Portuguese discovered that I was having political conversations with my colleagues, and thus they deckled to transfer me back to the PIDE prison. In J 964, while still in prison, I heard about the formation of FRELIMO and joined them. I was in prison until 1969. (dn every prison 1 have passed since my first arrest I witnessed the sufferings, the beatings of people with the palmatoria and people always sleeping on the floor, At that time there were about J,000 prisoners in Machava, many of them died there.» ^ .%*. . -*~ Com. VANOMBA: ^Portuguese made i Ri-UMO soldiers diu their own graves.>>^.'% Comrade Vanomba also recalled foreign visitors to the prison. It is quite common for the Portuguese to take officials of international agencies, or journalists, around prisons, Machava in particular and show them the model conditions under which the prisoners are held. Vanomba explained what really happened on these occasions. Many foreigners came to Machava to try to visit the prisoners, but the Portuguese used to tell them lies, they would not let them see the truth. For example, I know about three important persons who had been arrested for political reasons. These were never shown to the foreigners who came. Those who were shown were the thousands of innocent people who had been arrested. They usually presented the old men who could not explain. I do not know whether these people came from the Red Cross or not, bufl do know that they were not Portuguese. ((When I was in prison I was beaten with a palmatoria and used to sleep on the bare floor. The skin on my hands is not my former skin, because that came off when I was beaten with the palmatoria.» Among the many thousands of people in prison, most of them were arrested in 1963 Ind 1964. Most of them do not know when they are going to finish their punishment when they are going to be released, and they have not |
Archival file | Volume21/CENPA-344~11.tiff |