Elvino Dias and Paulo Guambe
MAPUTO, Mozambique — May 17, 2025
In a powerful posthumous tribute, slain Mozambican lawyer Elvino Dias has been awarded the prestigious Nelson Mandela Prize by the Portuguese legal association ProPública. Dias was assassinated in October 2024 in a brutal ambush while serving as legal representative for opposition leader Venâncio Mondlane during Mozambique's tense electoral period.
The announcement was made by ProPública president Agostinho Pereira de Miranda in an exclusive interview with Lusa News Agency. “This year’s recipient of the Nelson Mandela Prize is Elvino Dias, murdered while fearlessly fulfilling his legal duties. This award honors not only his courage, but also expresses our solidarity with Mozambican and African lawyers who fight for human rights under extraordinarily dangerous conditions,” Miranda said.
Dias had been collecting evidence of electoral fraud on behalf of the opposition coalition CAD (Coligação Aliança Democrática) when he was ambushed and killed, along with Paulo Guambe, another political figure from the party Podemos. The attack occurred on Joaquim Chissano Avenue in central Maputo and was widely condemned, including by the United Nations Secretary-General, the European Commission President, and numerous international legal and human rights organizations.
The Mozambican Bar Association described the killing as a "barbaric assassination." Miranda emphasized, "Elvino was killed not for his beliefs—which remain unknown—but because he represented someone who challenged entrenched power structures."
Throughout his career, Dias demonstrated a rare combination of legal tenacity, physical courage, and moral integrity. Despite repeated threats, he pursued both high-profile political cases and local neighborhood disputes with equal dedication. "Civic courage is an essential quality for any lawyer," Miranda said. "And Elvino embodied it fully."
The award, which includes a €10,000 prize, will be presented on July 18—International Nelson Mandela Day—commemorating the birthday of the legendary South African leader who dismantled apartheid. The ceremony location remains undisclosed, but Elvino Dias's family is expected to attend and receive the prize on his behalf.
Previous recipients of the Mandela Prize include Francisco Teixeira da Mota (2021), Leonor Caldeira (2022), Maria Clotilde Almeida and Paula Penha Gonçalves (2023), and António Garcia Pereira (2024).
ProPública hopes the award will keep alive the legacy of a lawyer whose voice was silenced, but whose example will inspire generations of human rights defenders.
Dias's unwavering commitment to justice and human rights continues to inspire legal professionals in Mozambique and beyond.
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Source: Lusa News Agency