Source: Amnesty International –
During his visit to Angola from 13 to 15 October, US President Joe Biden must demand Angolan President João Lourenço and his government immediately release five government critics arbitrarily detained for more than a year, four of whom have been tortured through deliberate denial of medical care, Amnesty International said.
President Biden must also demand President Lourenço and his government stop the four-year crackdown on peaceful protests which has killed dozens of people, including children, and seen more than 100 arbitrarily arrested during demonstrations. Angolan authorities must respect the rights of all people in the country.
“In President João Lourenço’s Angola, anyone who publicly criticizes the government risks arrest, torture or even death. If human rights are central to President Biden’s foreign policy, then he must demand Angola’s government immediately and unconditionally free the five arbitrarily detained government critics and end the crackdown on the right to protest,” said Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International Senior Director for Regional Human Rights Impact.
Police arrested Adolfo Campos, Hermenegildo Victor (known as Gildo das Ruas), Abraão Pedro Santos (known as Pensador) and Gilson Moreira (known as Tanaice Neutro) ahead of a protest against high fuel prices in September 2023. One month earlier, police arrested social media influencer Ana da Silva Miguel (known as Neth Nahara) after she broadcast a live TikTok video criticizing President Lourenço. Neth Nahara is featured in this year’s Write for Rights, Amnesty International’s biggest human rights campaign.
If human rights are central to President Biden’s foreign policy, then he must demand Angola’s government immediately and unconditionally free the five arbitrarily detained government critics and end the crackdown on the right to protest.
Deprose Muchena, Amnesty International Senior Director for Regional Human Rights Impact
Prison authorities have denied urgent medical care, including surgery, to Campos, Gildo das Ruas and Tanaice Neutro as their health has deteriorated, amounting to torture. They also held Tanaice in solitary confinement for 36 days. Prison guards prevented Neth Nahara from accessing her daily antiretroviral medication for the first eight months of her detention.