“This pale decision is a veto to the mission of the Angolan judiciary, which cannot function as an ‘expedient system’, especially when the self-destruction of fundamental freedoms is at stake”, writes the OAM, in a statement.
At issue is the decision of the Court of Appeal of Luanda, which ordered the suspension of the National Dialogue on the Electoral Legislative Process in Angola, a debate scheduled for Thursday, ruling in favor of a group of six lawyers who claimed that the Angolan Bar Association (OAA) did not have the authority to promote this type of event.
“The suspension of the event in question represents an unacceptable setback in efforts to consolidate the rule of law and democracy in Angola and on the African continent in general. The right to associate, debate and contribute to the improvement of a country’s legal system must be respected and encouraged, and not censored or silenced,” the Mozambican lawyers argue.
The debate in question was intended to encourage "reflection on the electoral legislative package" that is being considered by the National Assembly, with various segments of civil society.
“The OAM expresses its strongest repudiation of this measure, as it understands that it constitutes a serious attack on freedom of expression, the autonomy of professional associations and the fundamental right to democratic debate on matters of public interest, such as the electoral legislative process. In fact, the legislative branch does not have a monopoly on legislative development, and it is also the function of responsible citizenship, since only democracy demands a lot from citizens. Laws are the product of a democratic process,” it further describes.
Among the participants in the debate were the former president of the OAA Luis Paulo Monteiro, the coordinator of the Angolan Social Political Observatory (OPSA), Sérgio Calundungo, the coordinator of the Angolan Electoral Observatory, Luis Jimbo, activists Luaty Beirão and Cesaltina Cutaia, journalists such as Reginaldo Silva and Teixeira Cândido (former president of the union), television commentators Bali Chionga and José Pakisi Mendonça and researchers Cesaltina Abreu and David Boio.
“The Mozambican Bar Association expresses its unconditional solidarity with the Angolan Bar Association, the organizers, speakers and participants expected at the event, encouraging them to persevere in their mission to defend democratic values, legality and social justice. Courage is needed in a profession in which freedom is its greatest ideology,” concludes the statement from the Mozambican lawyers.
The OAA also promised to file a complaint against the reporting judge “for violation of the duties of impartiality, reasonableness and respect for the constitutional limits of jurisdiction” and admits to appealing to the Constitutional Court “given the non-application of constitutional norms relating to fundamental freedoms and the statute of the Order.
