Arbitrarily detained Angola government critics released after over a year in prison News
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Arbitrarily detained Angola government critics released after over a year in prison

Five government critics in Angola arbitrarily imprisoned for over a year have been released, Amnesty International reported on Tuesday.

Celebrating the release of the wrongfully detained critics, Amnesty International’s deputy regional director for East and Southern Africa, Sarah Jackson, noted, “These five people should never have been locked up. Authorities arrested them solely for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly.”

The activists were arrested on September 16, 2023, hours before partaking in a peaceful demonstration in solidarity with motorcycle taxi drivers in Luanda, the capital city of Angola. Initially, the public prosecutor accused the group of “outrage and injury to the President of the Republic,” a charge that was eventually altered due to inconsistencies and a lack of evidence. Eventually, following a summary trial, the activists were convicted and sentenced to 29 months in prison for “disobedience and resisting orders.” Authorities arrested Neth Nahara, a TikTok influencer, in her home on August 13, 2023, after she expressed criticism of President João Lourenço in a live TikTok video.

President Lourenço announced pardons for the critics on December 25, 2024, among 51 other citizens. Activists Adolfo Campos, Hermenegildo Victor José (known as Gildo das Ruas), Gilson Moreira (known as Tanaice Neutro), Abraão Pedro Santos (known as Pensador), were released on January 6, 2025, and social media influencer Ana da Silva Miguel (known as Neth Nahara) was released on January 1, 2025.

Authorities neglected to adequately care for the arbitrarily imprisoned individuals despite their worsening medical conditions. Authorities denied Nahara access to her daily HIV medication for months and intentionally denied medical care, including urgent surgery, to some of the other activists. Amnesty International Deputy Director for East and South Africa, Vongai Chikwanda stated, “Deliberately denying medical care to people in prison is torture,” highlighting a “troubling pattern of Angolan authorities withholding medical care as a means of punishing peaceful dissent.”

Jackson additionally stated:

Angola’s government must respect everyone’s rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly and end arbitrary detention and torture in the country. They must urgently hold accountable anyone suspected of responsibility for violating the rights of these five activists.

Amnesty International has advocated for the release of the arbitrarily imprisoned activists through public statements and petitions, including calling upon US President Biden to demand the Angolan president and government “immediately release” the government critics.

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