The journalists, who were detained for another five hours, have now been released, and in statements to Lusa, they complained of having been threatened and forced to hand over their cell phones.
The director of the Angolan news portal TV Maiombe Jubileu Panda said he tried to identify himself in front of the police commander, who did not let him speak, and was insulted and forced to sit on the floor.
"(The commander) called the patrol car and instructed them to take us and we were detained for five hours without any clarification about the reasons for our arrest, and they even photographed our professional cards and ordered us to sign some documents," he said.
Journalist Hermenegildo Caculo from Jornal Folha 8 and TV 8 also lamented what happened, saying he was arrested while interviewing one of the protesters.
"When one of our colleagues questioned the reasons for our arrest, one of the agents threatened to shoot our colleague Dionísio António, from the newspaper 'Secreto', if he asked questions again. We were psychologically tortured, humiliated and threatened with death," he alleged.
DW Africa correspondent Borralho Ndomba, who was detained for thirty minutes, told Lusa that he was forced to hand over his cell phones and microphones.
"While I was covering the demonstration, four police officers on motorcycles surrounded me and asked for my documents, including my professional ID, took my cell phones and microphone, forced me to get the code for my cell phones, searched my WhatsApp, as they intended to delete the records I had made, but found nothing because I had reported live on Facebook, on the DW page. After making calls, I don't know to whom, they gave me back my equipment and released me thirty minutes later," he reported.
CPJ condemns arrest of journalists
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemned the arrest of media professionals covering a march in Luanda, expressing surprise that authorities would continue with an action that violates the right to information.
According to the CPJ and information gathered by Lusa, three journalists were detained at a police station in Luanda, while a DW reporter was surrounded at the protest site by police officers, who also inspected his cell phone.
Speaking to Lusa, the coordinator of the Africa program for that non-governmental organization, Angela Quintal, said that it would be expected that the Angolan authorities would already be clear about the rights of journalists and the right to information.
"Given that freedom of expression is constitutionally enshrined in Angola, they must be allowed to do their job without fear of reprisals," she said, adding that several calls have been made over the years for police action to change.
The incident occurred on the last day of a week-long CPJ mission to Angola, which aimed to raise awareness among Angolan authorities about ending the criminalization of defamation.
"Since 2016, we have documented at least 25 journalists who have faced criminal defamation charges," she said, indicating that there is at least one journalist who has been the target of 117 lawsuits.
"We see criminal defamation as a way to silence journalists in Angola," continued Angela Quintal, recalling that the African Union itself (currently chaired by Angola) has defended the decriminalization of defamation, as have other African countries.
"It has been 50 years since Angola's independence, it is highly ironic that a colonial law is still being applied by the Angolan government, 50 years after freedom, after independence," she stressed, highlighting that there are other ways, such as self-regulation or civil proceedings.
Angela Quintal also addressed the bill on 'fake news' that the government wants to present to the National Assembly, which plans to criminalize the dissemination of false information on the internet with sentences of between one and ten years in prison, to stop the spread of fake news on social media.
"What we saw in the proposed law is cause for great concern. It is truly alarming," the CPJ chief stressed, considering that some of the provisions are draconian and that, if approved, the law would be in force during the election period, scheduled for 2027.
"What will happen is that the press will be silenced. From increased fines to the fact that some media outlets could be closed because of alleged fake news," she pointed out, noting that these provisions should not be applied.
"We have seen this all over the world, not just in Africa. Fake news laws are often defined so broadly that they are used to stifle independent and critical speech. And that is why we are extremely concerned," she added.
On Saturday, the police stopped the march called by the Angolan Students Movement (MEA) to protest against the lack of conditions in Luanda's schools and arrested dozens of young people, according to information from the student organization.
Lusa contacted the spokesperson for the National Police of the Luanda Provincial Command, Nestor Goubel, who referred clarification on the police action and the arrests to a later date.
