"During his visit to Angola, the president of the United States of America (USA), Joe Biden, must demand from the Angolan president, João Lourenço, and his government, the immediate release of five critics of the executive, arbitrarily detained for more than a year", wrote Amnesty International (AI) in a statement released in October, which was updated on Friday with more information about the arrests of activists over the last four years in Angola.
Amnesty International (AI) accuses the police of shooting dead children, firing tear gas grenades into crowds, "burning arms and legs", and brutally beating "people in their custody, causing deep physical and emotional scars".
In a report released on Wednesday, which analyzed police abuse and consequent disrespect for human rights in 11 demonstrations in Angola, between November 2020 and June 2023, AI concluded that law enforcement agents attacked protesters with live bullets and tear gas, killing at least 17 people, and beat and arbitrarily detained others, in violation of Angolan legislation and international law, but none of the agents, or their superiors, were brought to justice.
In the report "Broken Promises: Protesters among tear gas, bullets and batons in Angola" it is documented that the Angolan police "shot children to death, fired tear gas grenades into crowds, burning arms and legs, and brutally beat people in their custody, causing deep physical and emotional scars".
The Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) highlights that, however, the Angolan authorities have not yet held anyone responsible for these human rights violations, and argues that the victims and their families "deserve justice now", said AI's deputy regional director for East and Southern Africa, Khanyo Farisè, cited in the statement.
With regard to Biden, AI considers that the American head of state should also demand that President João Lourenço and his government put an end to the repression of four years of peaceful protests, which has already killed dozens of people, including children, and seen more than 100 people were arbitrarily arrested during the demonstrations.
"In President João Lourenço's Angola, anyone who publicly criticizes the Government risks being arrested, tortured or even killed", he reiterated.
"If human rights are fundamental to President Biden's foreign policy, then he must demand that the Government of Angola immediately and unconditionally release the five arbitrarily detained executive critics and end the repression of the right to protest", insisted the director AI senior for Regional Human Rights Impact, Deprose Muchena, cited in the statement released on Wednesday.
Police arrested Adolfo Campos, Hermenegildo Victor (known as Gildo das Ruas), Abraão Pedro Santos (known as Pensador) and Gilson Moreira (known as Tanaice Neutro) before a protest against high fuel prices in September 2023, recalled Muchena.