In an open letter released this Wednesday, the Angolan NGO expressed great concern about the "scheme" for obtaining a visa from that Embassy, which allegedly made it impossible for the executive director, João Malavindele, to travel to participate in the meeting of the Lusophony Combat Network. to Corruption (RedGov).
According to João Malavindele, the procedures of that diplomatic unit for issuing visas are characterized by "very high bureaucracy" which gives rise to acts indicative of "corruption, influence peddling and other situations that do not dignify the Brazilian people and respective institutions".
Malavindele, who was unable to board a flight to Rio de Janeiro, where he would participate in the RedGov meeting, which takes place between the 6th and 10th of May, said that the appointment, considered as the first requirement for obtaining a visa, "it only works for one group and for the vast majority it doesn't".
"There are never dates to make an appointment [at the Embassy]", he lamented, highlighting that, abroad, there are travel agencies and individual agents who, with some ease, can make an appointment charging a minimum amount of 150 thousand kwanzas.
According to the head of the NGO that promotes and defends human rights in Angola, due to the "inoperability" of the scheduling website, the organization made an institutional request to the Embassy in April, sent emails to the consulate requesting the visa, but this body remained silent.
The Brazilian Embassy in Angola "preferred absolute silence, demonstrating the lack of commitment to matters related to corruption, transparency, good governance and respect for human rights", wrote.
For the executive director of Omunga, the attitude of the Brazilian Embassy amounts to an "authentic violation of human rights, as well as disrespect and lack of consideration" towards institutions legally constituted in Brazil and Angola.
It also points out incalculable human and material damage to citizens seeking a travel visa for medical appointments, business, training and others.
When the Brazilian Embassy was contacted, an official source said that "an appointment was requested for the citizen on April 25th" so that he could appear at the visa center in order to present the required documentation.
In recent months, several Angolan citizens, especially students, have complained about the slow process of granting visas to Brazil, accusing the institution of "excessive bureaucracy".
The Brazilian ambassador to Angola, Rafael de Melo Vidal, quoted last March by Novo Jornal, said that many of the users who intend to travel to Brazil have presented false documents to obtain a visa, and that they are prevented from making a new application due to five years.
Requests for visas to Portugal have also been increasing, with no response capacity from the services, a situation that has also generated illegal businesses and schemes in the scheduling process, as Lusa previously found.
