The late Mozambican lawyer Elvino Bernardo António Dias has been posthumously awarded the 2025 Nelson Mandela Prize by the Portuguese association ProPública – Law and Citizenship, in recognition of his courageous advocacy for human rights and the public good. The award was formally handed over to his family today by the Mozambican Bar Association (OAM).
Dr. Elvino Dias, described as a leading and principled lawyer, was brutally assassinated on 19 October 2024 in Maputo when gunmen opened fire on the vehicle he was travelling in.
In an official statement dated 17 May 2025, ProPública stated: “It was unanimously decided, following the recommendation of the jury, to posthumously award the 2025 Nelson Mandela Prize to the Mozambican lawyer Elvino Dias, who was murdered on 19 October 2024, in the centre of Maputo, victim of gunshots fired at his vehicle.”
The association added: “This award honours the memory of the ‘People’s Lawyer’, who stood out in the defence of Human Rights and lost his life fighting for the public good, justice, and freedom. Though his voice has been silenced, Elvino Dias’s example of courage, independence, and integrity will continue to inspire lawyers in Mozambique and across the world.”
ProPública also expressed solidarity with Mozambican legal professionals and the Mozambican Bar Association, which has taken an active role in the ongoing criminal investigation by acting as an assistant in the prosecution.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Mozambican Bar Association paid tribute to Dr. Dias’s values and legacy: “We are here against the will of many, carried by the hands of a few – those few who cannot coexist with differing opinions, who reject the healthy contest of ideas, who only speak the language of violence, pain, intransigence and intolerance, be it political or otherwise.”
The statement continued: “Societies progress because of the nonconformists, the few who risk turning words into banners. Dr. Elvino Bernardo António Dias – we are here because you dared not only to think but to act – to do good, and to do it well.”
The Bar Association praised Dr. Dias’s commitment to justice, equality, and liberty, which he pursued using only the legal instruments created by the State, in a transparent and ethical manner: “Above all, he chose to stand with the truth.”
“In you, our noble professional class had a colleague of exceptional human and professional stature. Rest in peace, fighter for justice and the law,” the statement concluded.
Dr. Elvino Dias’s murder remains under criminal investigation, and no arrests have been announced to date. His legacy, however, continues to cast a long and inspiring shadow over Mozambique’s legal community
