"The Government has taken significant steps to accuse or punish rulers who have abused," reads the most recent analysis by the US Department of State on Human Rights Practices.
In addition, the executive chaired by João Lourenço "also dismissed and accused ministers, provincial governors, top military officers and other officers for corruption and financial crimes", says the text on Angola's practices in 2020, and available on the website 'of this Department that works like the ministries of Foreign Affairs in European countries.
"However," he adds, "accountability for human rights abuses has been limited due to a lack of brakes and counter-brakes, a lack of institutional capacity, a culture of impunity and corruption in the government."
The document points out that "the security forces used excessive force when they imposed restrictions to deal with the covid-19 pandemic", but praises that "the government has blamed the security forces for these abuses on several occasions".
The report summarizes that "the civil authorities maintained control over the Angolan Armed Forces and the national police", considering that the action was, "in general, effective, albeit sometimes brutal, in maintaining stability".
Among the human rights issues listed in the report are "arbitrary or illegal homicides, including extrajudicial killings by government security forces and cases of cruel or inhuman treatment and punishment by government security forces", in addition to "serious restrictions on the press and free expression, including violence, threats of violence or unjustified detentions and lack of accountability for violence against women ".
The extensive report reviews many of the cases that during the past year have been widely disseminated by the media and social networks regarding actions by the police and security forces, whether during the demonstrations, whether to comply with the rules of detachment and social protection arising from the covid-19 pandemic.
