On 30 July 2024, the District Court of Saurimo, in the province of Lunda Sul, found 198 defendants guilty of alleged participation in protests in support of regional autonomy in the eastern provinces of the country. The court ultimately sentenced them to prison terms ranging from four to eight years and fines, the non-governmental organisation (NGO) explained.
“The Angolan authorities must respect the right to a fair trial (…) and ensure that the rights of the defendants are protected,” said HRW’s deputy director for Africa, Ashwanee Budoo-Scholtz, quoted in the statement.
In her opinion, the government promotes institutional repression of the opposition through serious irregularities in the judicial process and an unnecessary delay in hearing the appeals.
In October 2023, the Lunda Tchokwe Protectorate Movement, which advocates political autonomy for eastern Angola, held mostly peaceful protests in four cities in the provinces of Lunda Norte (north) and Lunda Sul (south), the NGO explained.
“During and after the protests, the Angolan police used excessive force, including tear gas and beatings, and detained dozens of participants and bystanders,” it lamented. The trial of these individuals took place on 30 July 2024.
The authorities accused the defendants of rebellion, criminal association, disobeying orders to disperse, participating in riots and damaging public property. The court found that the defendants disobeyed police orders to disperse and threw stones, bottles and sticks at the police, injuring three police officers and damaging vehicles.
However, according to the NGO, the court conducted the trial in a manner that fell short of fair standards.
A lawyer who attended the trials said that the defendants could choose their lawyers, but some had to accept lawyers appointed by the court. The court held the trial in a makeshift court inside the Luzi district prison and closed it to the public and journalists,” he said.
According to information from the lawyer, in one province, there was only one lawyer representing more than 140 detainees from that region. Another lawyer told HRW that authorities continue to detain some protesters who were taken into custody in 2023, and the courts have yet to try them.
Article 67 of the Angolan Constitution says that all defendants have the right to defence, appeal and legal representation. Angola is also a party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, both of which say that everyone has the right to due process, including legal counsel of their own choosing, and to a fair trial,” the organisation said.
Platform with Lusa
