Ver Angola

Society

Government argues that law against vandalism aims to protect everyone's rights

The Justice Minister said in Geneva on Thursday that the anti-vandalism legislation aims to protect “the rights of thousands against the criminal acts of a few” that undermine the rights to water, energy and transport.

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Marcy Lopes highlighted, in a meeting in Geneva, that “there are crimes in Angola that cause losses for the community”, giving examples of the removal of components from power lines, vandalism of train lines and cables, as well as water pipes.

“The purpose of the law is for everyone to be able to benefit from their rights,” he said, noting that vandalism against public property causes thousands of dollars in damage and deprives people of access to water, energy and public transportation.

Just a few weeks ago, he recalled, the substation that supplied power to two municipalities in Luanda was set on fire and the perpetrators were arrested and taken to court for trial.

Marcy Lopes spoke in the final stretch of the session to present Angola's report to the Working Group of the United Nations Human Rights Council, during the 4th universal periodic review, answering questions asked by her peers.

Civil society organizations have expressed concern about the anti-vandalism law, fearing it will be used to intimidate protesters and limit protests.

The Law on Vandalization of Public Property and Services, which provides for between three and 25 years in prison for acts of vandalism against property, was approved last year, with abstention from the UNITA parliamentary group, which considered that there were hidden intentions to persecute the organizations policies.

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