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(2004/C 88 E/0739)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0985/04

by Antonio Di Pietro (ELDR) to the Commission

(24 March 2004)

Subject:   Disappearance of children in Mozambique

Since July 2003 there have been alarming reports of street children disappearing in Mozambique (particularly in the Nampula area), to be sold and murdered, in some cases so that their organs may be used in the illegal transplant organ trade.

Attention was first drawn to this situation in February by missionary nuns in the Nampula diocese, the Sisters Servants of Mary, who wrote to Bishop Tomé and gave the local authorities a detailed account of the horrific events, backed up by statements from family members and teachers of the children who had disappeared.

A Brazilian consecrated layperson, Elida Dos Santos, who lives in the monastery at Nampula, was able to take video footage and photographs showing that these terrible events are very real and not merely the subject of serious allegations. The pictures show the mutilated bodies of children with missing organs, while some bodies have been found in sacks buried in remote spots.

What is more, as a result of the action taken by male and female missionaries in Mozambique against this horrific ring of inhuman traffickers, on 24 February 2004 a Brazilian Lutheran missionary, Doraci Edinger, who had come to the assistance of children in Nampula, was found dead in her flat. She had been battered to death with a hammer.

Pope John Paul II has also officially intervened in this matter, bringing his full moral authority to bear by calling during the Ash Wednesday homily for action to be taken in Mozambique to put a stop to the ‘obscene trafficking in organs and human beings’.

In the face of these alarming reports and the indifference shown by international organisations, can the Commission make urgent representations to the relevant authorities in Mozambique with a view to ensuring that the necessary action is taken to guarantee the safety of children and male and female missionaries in Nampula?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(29 April 2004)

The Commission shares the concerns of the Honourable Member about these alleged abominable crimes relating to the disappearance and trafficking of organs of orphans in Mozambique.

The Commission has contacted the Republic's General Prosecutor through its Delegation in Maputo in respect of these crimes. The Prosecutor has confirmed that a full investigation with a multi-institutional team including the Attorney General's office, the investigative police and the Nampula branch of the Human Rights League is underway not only in this region but also in other regions of the country. The investigation is ongoing and will go deeper into the allegations of trafficking. From the alleged cases no evidence could be established that human organs are subject to illegal trafficking. Furthermore, there is the political will in Mozambique to bring before the court any persons responsible for such crimes. This serious issue was lengthily debated in the Mozambican Parliament and the Government was requested to increase its efforts to find the truth and bring to justice any person involved in such crimes.

This issue will be raised within the framework of the EU-Mozambique political dialogue.

The Commission is aware of the concern regarding the nuns' safety and although this matter falls outside the Commission's competences and can be best addressed through interventions from the respective EU Embassies, the Commission will examine within the framework of the EU co-ordination and EU-Mozambique political dialogue the most appropriate way to raise this issue with the Government.

Mozambique has been benefiting from assistance to the judiciary system (Strategic Planning, access to justice, human rights, prison reforms, legal training, Maputo Civil Court, Police of Mozambique) by the EU (Denmark, Spain, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands and Portugal), Norway, United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

The Honourable Member can be assured that the Commission, within its competence, will continue supporting the Government of Mozambique to reinforce its investigating capacity so that justice prevails in this country.

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