5 Years After Losing an Eye to Domestic Abuse, Josina Machel is Still Searching for Justice!
The story of Josina Machel shows just how blind the justice system can be.
In October of 2015, Josina Machel, daughter of Graça Machel & Samora Machel, the 1st President of Mozambique and stepdaughter to freedom fighter Nelson Mandela, was violently attacked by her then-partner, Rufino Licuco. This attack left Josina losing one eye and undergoing years of physical recovery.
A protracted legal battle saw Licuco being convicted in February 2017 and eventually being jailed for three months in the same year.
In a bold move, Josina Machel is appealing The Mozambican Superior Court of Appeals’ judgement, which reversed an earlier conviction of her former partner who had confessed to violently assaulting and leaving her blind in one eye.
“I had placed my trust in the Mozambican justice system, for 5 years, waiting for justice to turn its blind eyes to my gender and convict this man of the crime he has already confessed to. Yet, along with all the women who have joined me in waiting through the years, I have been let down once again”, says Josina Machel.
“Let me state unequivocally that I do not accept this judgment overturning Rofino Licuco’s conviction for domestic violence and completely acquitting him. This is not only a let-down for me, but it is creating a dangerous precedent for all women seeking to get legal retribution against those who violate them”. Machel says this has strengthened and empowered her to continue the battle for justice, truth, and dignity, not only for herself but for all women. She’s calling for #Justice4Josina and #Justice4AllWomen.
“The judgement will not set the dangerous precedent that my aggressor and his institutional enablers intend to. A situation all too familiar for women across the African continent. We are going to fight this. There must justice for all women. By demanding that I provide eyewitnesses to a crime that left me blind in one eye, the court has strengthened my resolve to look out for all other women around me”.
According to a press release, the court dismissed irrefutable evidence, including the confession of Licuco to his crime. Also according to the press release, “the Mozambican justice system has shown that it is simply uninterested in offering succour to victims. It has devalued the striking evidence (a blinded right eye) on account of a technical disagreement among experts about whether a piercing or blunt object caused the injury, rather than the decisive evidence provided. The Superior Court of Appeal has proven that it remains insensitive and unmoved by the impact of violence committed by men against women. Therefore, Machel says she has turned to other women, allies, and civil society groups who understand her pain to demand JusticeForAllWomen even outside of the court.”
“Their message to us is loud and clear!” she concludes.
It is important for systems put in place to feel and be like safe havens for its communities. The fight for a safe and fair justice system for women is still ongoing and will continue until true justice is served for those affected.
TW applauds Josina Machel’s courage and fighting spirit. To find out more, visit https://www.kuhlukamovement.org
