In a recent development in Angola, five government critics who had been held for more than a year have been released from prison. Amnesty International reported the release, celebrating the end of what they described as an arbitrary detention that violated the critics’ rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. Amnesty’s Deputy Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Sarah Jackson, emphasized that the individuals “should never have been locked up” in the first place. For more on Amnesty’s statement, you can visit their news report.
The activists were originally arrested on September 16, 2023, just hours before they planned to participate in a demonstration in Luanda. The protests were intended to support motorcycle taxi drivers. Initially charged with “outrage and injury to the President of the Republic,” these accusations were later revised due to lack of evidence. Ultimately, they were convicted of “disobedience and resisting orders” and sentenced to 29 months in prison. Among those arrested was Neth Nahara, a noted TikTok influencer, apprehended for criticizing President João Lourenço. Detailed information about the activists’ arrest can be found in Amnesty’s account.
On December 25, 2024, President João Lourenço extended pardons to more than 51 individuals, including these critics. The activists were released in early January 2025, marking an end to their enforced absence from public life. Their release raises questions about the state of civil freedoms in Angola and the pressing need for judicial reforms. The details of the presidential pardons are available on AllAfrica.
During their imprisonment, the activists suffered from neglect of their health care needs, with Amnesty reporting that Nahara was deprived of her daily medication for HIV, and urgent medical care was denied to others. Amnesty International has been vocal in calling this practice “torture,” asserting that withholding medical care serves as punishment for peaceful dissent. The organization previously urged the U.S. administration to pressure the Angolan government to release these detainees. Further insights into Amnesty’s advocacy actions can be found here.
For more on this development, the full article detailing the release of these government critics can be accessed at JURIST.