"I hope that the 24th of October and the 11th of November [when the police suppressed protests in Luanda] served as some kind of lesson for the political power to stop wanting to impose its will and use the National Police to serve as a buffer, hiding behind it to do what it has done again," the musician told the Lusa agency.
Since last month, the police have strongly repressed two attempts to demonstrate in Luanda to demand better living conditions and municipal elections in 2021.
Following the last protest, held on Independence Day, November 11, a student, Inocêncio de Matos, died in circumstances still to be clarified.
"These practices, these crimes, have their days numbered, people have lost patience and are losing the most important thing, which maintained and ensured this form of exercise of power, which is fear. When people lose their fear, the broth has spilled and if the political power doesn't realize that people are on the edge and on the verge of losing their fear, the political power risks falling into the street," he stressed.
Luaty Beirão pointed out the "evident escalation" of repression in recent times, noting that over the past three years, when President João Lourenço came to power, replacing José Eduardo dos Santos after almost four decades, there have been countless demonstrations that have taken place without major problems.
"I don't remember there having been this rigor, this musculature, that goes back to ancient times that we thought we could already consider in the past. People are once again being targeted by criminal practices by state agents and institutions," he lamented.
Regarding the events of last Wednesday, November 11, which resulted in the death of a 26-year-old, Luaty Beirão expressed doubts as to the official version that the student died in hospital as a result of assault with a blunt object.
"There are videos showing the police shooting, we can say that the videos do not show if they were real bullets, but there are cartridges and bullets caught in the demonstration by people who were live. So much evidence has accumulated that it's even childish for the police to deny responsibility," he criticized, pointing out: "The police are making up a story and trying to evade their responsibilities, as they always do.
"If they didn't kill, who did? Was it a colleague [of the student] who was armed and killed? What's the theory? If they didn't do it, who did? Has an inquiry or an investigation been opened? Has a voice been given to other witnesses?", are some of the questions I would like to have answered.
Luaty Beirão argued that João Lourenço should speak on the matter and that the commander general of the National Police, as well as the Minister of the Interior, should make the place available.
"In a country that wants to be considered normal these practices have to become regular, people have to assume the higher responsibility," stressed the 'rapper' known as Iconoklasta, pointing out that "the agent who shot is the material responsible, but there are others.
"Unfortunately, the Angolan President, who is the moral responsible for all this (...), has been omissive when there are these kinds of situations", which, in his opinion, "seriously damage the image of the rule of law" and "stain" the leadership and the opening speech and change of João Lourenço, he sustained.
The activist also considered inexplicable that the Agostinho Neto University, where Inocêncio de Matos attended the third year of computer science, has not allowed tributes to the student.
"How is it that even in the academy one manages to take the political repression to prevent symbolisms like being in black clothes and to make a minute of silence, how is it that the police are called and accept the role of not allowing the entrance of students in their school enclosure? It's so revolting, it's hard to accept," he said.
Luaty Beirão, who also tried to participate in last Wednesday's demonstration, November 11, was barred by the police who confiscated some assets and gave him a voice of arrest.
The 'rapper' questioned the procedures of the authorities, which prevented people from walking on the public highway and forced them to hand over personal items such as cell phones, a camera and even a protest poster, and filed a complaint with the inspection department of the Luanda provincial command due to the behavior of the agents.
At stake are the forced seizure of their assets (goPro camera, house key bag, a powerbank and a poster) and death threats against them.
"It's important that people force institutions to work and give answers that are required by law," he said, stressing that these institutions "are obstructed by political power" and that more important than recovering assets is that procedures are followed.
Two more protest initiatives are already planned, called for Saturday, November 21 and December 10.
This week, the ambassador of the European Union in Angola expressed "concerns" about the respect for the freedoms and guarantees of citizens and the Angolan ministers of Justice and Interior recognized excesses in police intervention.
