Angolan police accused of murdering at least 15 people since January | News24
Angola’s
police have allegedly killed over a dozen activists since January, Human Rights
Watch (HRW) said Monday, urging government to swiftly probe reports of abuse
and rights violations.
The
country’s law enforcement authorities have also been accused of the arbitrary
arrests and detention of hundreds, the NGO said in a statement.
Angolan
law enforcement authorities including police, state security and intelligence
services “have been implicated in unlawful killings of at least 15 people,”
HRW said.
Political
activists, artists and protest organisers were the main targets of the
“alleged rights violations,” which HRW has condemned.
Angola: Grave Police Abuses Against Activists https://t.co/qLcnraTkFO
— Human Rights Watch (@hrw)
“Angolan
authorities should urgently act to end abusive police policies and practices
and ensure that there is justice for victims and their family members,”
Zenaida Machado, senior Africa researcher at HRW said in the statement.
Although
the government has attempted to improve law enforcement, criminal prosecutions
against police officers who commit these violations remain rare, HRW said.
The
arrests are more frequent in the oil rich northern province of Cabinda, close
to the Democratic Republic of Congo.
In
the last six months, HRW has interviewed 32 people across the country including
victims and their relatives, witnesses and security sources.
In
one instance men who identified as criminal investigation service members held
a group of young men in custody “whose bodies were found three days later
at a hospital morgue,”.
A
friend of the victims, who were known for participating in anti-government
protests, said that police had been monitoring the group.
The price of a litre of petrol has been increased as of June 2, 2023, from 160 Kwanzas per litre (USD 0,27) to 300 kwanzas per litre (USD 0,51).
Angola’s
ruling party, the People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), have
denied HRW’s claims.
Rui Falco told AFP:
According
to the HRW the country’s leading opposition, UNITA, said it had documented over
130 cases of people being killed by security forces during protests since 2017.
On
Saturday, thousands of people called for Angola’s President Joao Lourenco to
step down during a rally in the capital organised by UNITA to commemorate its
late leader.
The
oil-rich southern African nation has experienced a wave of protests since the
government cut subsidies for petrol in June.
The
move was aimed at curbing government spending, as the economy suffers from a
slide in oil prices that has weakened the local currency, the kwanza. But it resulted
in unpopular sharp fuel price hikes.