The rights group says that riot police fired tear gas to disperse a peaceful funeral procession held for famous rapper Azagaia.A human rights group has urged authorities in Mozambique to investigate the alleged use of tear gas by police forces during a funeral of a popular rapper known for his critical stance against the government.
Edson da Luz, known as Azagaia, died last week due to a sudden illness, and his death prompted vigils across Angola and Mozambique. In a new report on Thursday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the police dispersed his supporters using tear gas during his funeral on Tuesday.
It urged the government to probe the incident.
The funeral was held with thousands of people joining the convoy carrying the coffin to the cemetery. Songs of the late singer could be heard in the main streets of Maputo, the country’s capital, as a tribute to Azagaia.
Videos on social media showed the crowd singing Vampiros (Vampires), a song that compares corrupt leaders to vampires.
“Tu não vês, não querem saber de ti, não querem saber de ti. Vampiros. Os vampiros!”.Até sempre mano Azagaia. Sou privilegiado por partilhar o tempo e espaço consigo. pic.twitter.com/QlXe5vexkp
— Rafael Machalela 🇲🇿 (@rafaelmachalela) March 14, 2023
Translation: “You don’t see, they don’t care about you, they don’t care about you. Vampires. Vampires!” See you forever bro Azagaia. I am privileged to share time and space with you.
As people were …