In the statement by the Permanent Committee of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), which Lusa had access to this Friday, it is stated that, in addition to Adalberto Costa Júnior, the complaints extend to other members of the board, configuring "an attitude typical of a dictatorship".
"For which it denounces the political persecution of which its president has been a victim, for the security of the State, for the lack of protection of the State and denial of political rights, such as the imposition of a ban on public media outlets from interviewing him or publishing his interventions (...) on issues of national interest, as provided for in the Constitution and the law", it is pointed out.
The document also mentions the trial taking place in Huambo province of seven people accused of attempted terrorist acts, with the aim of destabilizing the country during the visit to Angola of former US President Joe Biden in December.
According to UNITA, the Permanent Committee of the UNITA Political Commission noted "with great concern that the attempt to politically instrumentalize the judicial authorities constitutes a true coup d'état and an attack on democracy, human rights and political stability."
"In effect, the association of the names of Adalberto Costa Júnior, president of UNITA, Liberty Chiyaka, president of the parliamentary group (...), Raul Taty, 1st minister of the shadow government, (...) and Esteves Pena, member of the Political Commission (...), aims to create the basis that justifies their incrimination for the decapitation of UNITA", the statement highlights.
UNITA warns of "attempts to manipulate justice, the fabrication of incriminating scenarios, the attempt to remove the legitimately elected leadership of UNITA and other demonstrations driven by hatred, racism, immorality and lack of ethics, using and abusing the stage of public social communication, by agents of intelligence services, trivializing the democratic rule of law".
Regarding the recent incident in Luanda involving foreign guests who were supposed to participate in the International Conference of the Platform for Democrats for Africa, the Standing Committee reports that UNITA "worked diligently" with the Government for two months to prepare the event, providing the list of guests, their arrival dates and their purposes, considering the "arrogance and disrespect for the rights of foreign participants, who were subjected to ill-treatment and humiliation, exposing the image and good name of Angola and its hospitable people" to be "inexplicable, unacceptable and reprehensible".
Regarding the country's political, economic and social situation, UNITA emphasized that it tends to worsen without the Government engaging in dialogue with social partners.
On the other hand, the Standing Committee recommends that UNITA encourage the visit to Angola of commissions from the African Union, the European Parliament, the UN Court of Human Rights and the involvement of civil society actors, "for actions to verify the independence of the judiciary, the criminal abandonment of the populations, the extreme censorship in the media and the political persecution and threats to the physical integrity of party leaders".
"Finally, the Permanent Committee of the UNITA Political Commission calls on all democratic and patriotic forces, civil society and the Churches, to jointly mobilise Angolans for a broad demonstration in defence of the democratic State, which is in danger due to the anti-democratic stance of the party that holds the State hostage", the statement concludes.
