"Angola needs to be able to fulfill itself in fact. It is from the spark of the confrontation of ideas that can be born in the light of a better country. And this is what diversity and human rights defend", said Pedro Neto at the vigil promoted this Tuesday at the Angolan embassy against police repression in that country.
The vigil, which brought together dozens of people, was convened by Amnesty International Portugal to "denounce state violence in Angola, because it happens on several levels. Police brutality is one of them and is more visible in the street".
"But then there is also another type of intimidation and intimidation maneuvers, in which many activists and demonstrators, freethinkers, are called to the authorities to justify themselves, for example, 'posts' and publications on their personal social networks", he detailed.
Amnesty International (AI) Portugal launched a petition on the vigil for the "end to the use of excessive, disproportionate and lethal force" by the Angolan security forces, in the exercise of freedom of expression and assembly.
Paulo Fontes, director of campaigns at AI Portugal read out the names of the Angolans, some minors, mortal victims at the hands of the Angolan security forces.
"Of course, violence in the street and police brutality and all that goes hand in hand with the greatest drama, which is the most immediate that we see with fatal victims", added Pedro Neto, who underlined that AI Portugal "documented, at least in the last three years".
Asked if it is possible to compare the repression he alleges against the Angolan security forces with the situation experienced during the regime of the former President, José Eduardo dos Santos, Pedro Neto replied that it is not possible to buy.
"I cannot say, comparatively, what is worse or better. What we perceive is that João Lourenço, when he takes office, gives a sign of hope for freedom of expression and for freedom of manifestation and thought. We thought we were going to have diversity of thought and expression in Angola, but none of that is happening. Everything remains the same. Activists continue to suffer. Even people who are not activists. In the pandemic, there were even children who were murdered in the street by police brutality and who are not activists. They went out into the street to run errands," he denounced.
Present at the vigil, Angolan activist Kenidi Domingos said that the objective of the initiative was to denounce "the level of police repression in Angola, which has increased every year".
In addition to posters denouncing police repression in Angola, participants in the vigil lit dozens of candles to remember the victims.
AI Portugal will continue to denounce police repression in Angola.
On Sunday, in statements to Lusa, Paulo Fontes stressed that the non-governmental organization "will not stop this type of initiative".
"And we will not stop until freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and human rights in general in Angola and around the world are restored, but in this specific case, in Angola", he reiterated.
On the occasion, Paulo Fontes lamented that in Angola demonstrators, activists, "all people who are a dissident voice are seen by the Angolan authorities as a nuisance and are repeatedly treated as criminals, when this is not true". "It is, on the contrary", he stressed.
