"We demand justice and an end to the persecution of zungueiras (street vendors) and freedom now for political prisoners" is the motto of the march, scheduled for Saturday, in Luanda, whose itinerary includes the departure from Largo das Heroínas to the Ministry of Justice and Rights Humans.
The activist Cavalheiro Democrata, who was speaking at a press conference to present the "manifesto for justice and freedom in Angola", regretted the "silence" of the government of the province of Luanda (GPL) before the communiqué on the march sent on 19 of January.
"The GPL, as an indirect State administration body, had 72 hours to respond to this communiqué and so far we are already over this period and the Constitution of the Republic says that it is the responsibility of the State to guarantee the realization of human rights", he said.
The activists remember that the Law on the Right to Assembly and Demonstration determines that the organizers should only communicate the objectives of the march to the authorities and they inform the police for the safety of the demonstrators.
Without any pronouncement from the GPL, activist Geraldo Dala downplayed the presence or absence of police personnel, guaranteeing that the demonstrators "do not fear for their lives" and that they still take to the streets to "demand" justice and freedom.
"We are not concerned with the connection or not of the police, in the law of demonstrations our obligation is not with the police, but with the GPL and we have already communicated", he underlined.
"So, if the police call us or not, it doesn't matter, what matters is that on the 28th we are going to march", he reiterated, adding that the police "never collaborated" with the demonstrators and that "everything that happens is the responsibility of the Angolan State".
The activists, in the "manifesto for justice and freedom in Angola", said that Angola is experiencing a mix of authoritarianism and State terrorism due to the "subversion" of the Constitution, international treaties and the use of force and violence by of defense and security.
They also deplored what they considered "predatory persecution" of women zungueiras, recalling the episode on December 9, 2022, in Luanda, in which a saleswoman was killed by police gunfire, which injured other people.
The "torture and detention of activists", as well as the "repression" of demonstrations organized by them constitute a clear attack on the democratic State and the rule of law and the Angolan Constitution, they said.
They also ask, in the manifest, that the Angolan Government stop fighting the poor and fight poverty and misery and "demand" the release of "political prisoners", namely Tanaice Neutro, Luther Campos, Zeca Mutchima and Julino Kalupeteka.
