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