According to the Non-Governmental Organization (NGO), the 33-year-old activist was shot in the left leg while live-streaming protests against rising fuel prices on social media. Witnesses claimed the shooters were agents of the Criminal Investigation Service.
Also according to the human rights organization, after receiving brief treatment at the Gameque village hospital, Serrote José de Oliveira "General Nila" was transferred by National Police officers to the Talatona Municipal Command, where he was last seen.
Since then, his family and lawyer have had no contact with him, and his health condition and exact whereabouts are unknown.
"Amnesty International (AI) is concerned that Serrote José de Oliveira has been arbitrarily detained, deprived of adequate medical care, and held incommunicado," the statement issued by the NGO reads.
AI calls on the Angolan authorities to reveal his whereabouts, guarantee access to medical care, his family, and a lawyer, and for his release, provided there are no formal charges recognized under international law.
Also called on the Angolan authorities to respect the right to peaceful protest and cease the excessive use of force against citizens who protest.
The organization also emphasizes that this is not an isolated case. Another activist, Osvaldo Kaholo, was arrested on July 19 for "inciting violence" after an online broadcast. He reportedly spent eight days without being able to change his clothes and began a hunger strike to protest against being banned from receiving food from his family.
Osvaldo Kaholo was one of the members of the so-called 15+2 case, a group of Angolan activists who were arrested in Luanda in 2015 while discussing a book on peaceful protest methods and accused of planning a coup d'état.
According to the Criminal Investigation Service (SIC), the 36-year-old former Angolan Armed Forces officer was arrested "due to strong evidence of the crimes of rebellion, public incitement to crime, and public defense of crime, as evidenced by a live broadcast in which he made serious threats against the integrity of general officers, commissioners, and other entities."
The Movement Against Fuel Price Hikes, which includes several Angolan activists, also reported an attack in the early hours of Monday against the husband of Laurinda Gouveia, an activist also convicted in the 15+2 case.
According to the movement, Rapid Intervention Police (PIR) officers "invaded the residence of activist Laurinda Gouveia, where, in her absence, they violently assaulted her husband, Agostinho Alfredo, leaving him unconscious."
"This is yet another episode of systematic repression against citizens exercising their right to free expression and demonstration," they criticize, demanding security guarantees for Laurinda Gouveia, her family, and other activists.
The national taxi drivers' strike, called by ANATA (National Association of Taxi Drivers of Angola), began on July 28th in protest against rising fuel prices and higher public transportation fares.
During the three-day strike, there were riots and acts of violence, with reports of looting and vandalism in several areas of the capital and other provinces, as well as shootings involving police.
According to the most recent official tally, there were 30 deaths, 277 injuries, and 1515 arrests nationwide, primarily in the provinces of Luanda, Benguela, Huíla, Huambo, Malanje, Bengo, and Lunda Norte.
