Publication of a Mission Report: “They want to keep us vulnerable”: Human Rights Defenders Under Pressure

Paris, Geneva, Pretoria, Luanda, March 19, 2015 – In a joint report released today, the Observatory and the Associação Justicia Paz eDemocracia (AJPD) depict anenvironment where human rights defenders and journalists in Angola aresubjected to judicial and administrative harassment, acts of intimidation,threats and other forms of restrictions to their freedom of association andexpression. Our organisations release this report while the trial of prominentjournalist and human rights defender, Rafael Marques de Morais willcommence next week in Luanda. The report also comes in a context where theauthorities of Angola have recently introduced a draft regulation aimed atregulating the activities of NGOs which, if adopted by the President in itscurrent form, will considerably jeopardize any independent human rightsreporting in this country.

“The authorities of Angola voluntarily maintainhuman rights defenders and journalists in a situation of vulnerability. Unfairtrials, recurring harassment, acts of intimidation and restrictive legislationsare all methods of States which do not tolerate opposition. This situation mustcome to an end and Angolan authorities must accept dissenting voices”, declared our organisations.

On March 24, 2015, a trial on charges of criminal defamation willcommence in Luanda against journalistRafael Marques de Morais. Marques is accused of defamation following the publication,in 2011, of his book, “Blood Diamonds: Corruption and Torture in Angola”where he denounces the corruption and human rights violations allegedlycommitted by some state agents and business entrepreneurs in the diamond-miningindustry. The Observatory and AJPD call upon the authorities of Angola to dropthe charges for criminal defamation pending against Rafael Marques and conformwith regional and international recommendations calling upon thede-criminalisation of defamation and the protection of human rights work.

“Rafael Marques has been targeted by the authoritiesfor many years. This trial is another illustration of the regime's willingnessto hamper his freedom of expression and undermine his reporting on human rightsabuses committed in the sector of extractive industries. As illustrated in ourreport, the procedural irregularities observed since Marques was indicted inJanuary 2013 clearly show that he may not benefit from a fair trial”, added our organisations.

Recent attacks against human rights defenders

The report reveals that human rights defenders and journalistsdenouncing issues deemed to be sensitive such as corruption, bad governance,forced demolitions, forced evictions or the human rights situation in Cabindaare the main targets of the authorities. Recent cases clearly illustrate thistrend: in Cabinda, on March 14, 2015, the police arbitrarily arrested MarcosMavungo, former member of the organisation Mpalabanda, and lawyer Arão Bula Tempo, prior to ademonstration which was planned the same day to denounce the human rightsabuses and bad governance prevailing in the province. Both men were transferredto the provincial office for criminal investigation where they are stilldetained. On March 16, they were both charged with “sedition”. The Observatoryand AJPD call upon the authorities to proceed to their immediate release andput an end to what appears to be judicial harassment for human rights work.

Earlier, on February 18, 2015, the offices of the organisation Omunga, anorganisation well-known for its stance against forced demolitions andevictions, based in the province of Benguela, were burgled by two armed men,dressed in military uniforms, who assaulted the guard and robbed a camera and aphone. Despite the complaint filed by José Patrocino, the Coordinator ofOmunga, and while members of this organisation are often subjected to acts ofintimidation, no serious and impartial investigation has been conducted by thepolice up to now. The Observatory and AJPD express serious concerns at theserecent events as they illustrate the increasing insecure environment in whichhuman rights defenders operate in Angola. Our organisations urge theauthorities to identify the authors of this burglary and to bring before anindependent tribunal.

Attempt to further restrict freedom of association

Our organisations further express serious concerns about theintroduction, in February 2015, of a draft regulation on the activities ofNGOs, which was proposed by the Ministry of Social Assistance and Reinsertionand the Service of External Intelligence. Under the guise of preventingterrorism, the draft regulation, which is to be adopted by Presidential decree,contains a number of provisions that, if applied, will considerably jeopardisethe work of independent human rights organisations in Angola. Among others, theregulation requires NGOs to provide their certificate of registration to beauthorised to carry out their activities, failing which they risk suspension orclosure. However, as illustrated in the report, to date, most independent humanrights organisations, including AJPD, have still not received the saidcertificate from the Ministry of Justice. Besides, several provisions of thisregulation will result in an increasing control exercised by the authoritiesover the activities (design and planning of implementation), the accounts(origin of funding) and the internal management of NGOs (employment of staff,purchase of equipment). For example, NGOs will be required to solicit theapproval of the authorities prior to implementing projects, to implementactivities benefiting communities or purchasing equipment exclusively in thecountry. The Observatory and AJPD urge the authorities to refrain from adoptingsuch restrictive regulation as it contravenes Angola's commitments andobligations to respect freedom of association.

Our organisations deplore the fact that “for many years,structural impediments to the work of human rights defenders in Angola havebeen commonplace. The NGO registration process remains complex, costly andopaque and the NGO sector is crippled by a lack of human resources andfinancial sustainability. The regulation, if adopted in its current form, mightsimply lead to the extinction of independent human rights organisations inAngola”.

The reportis available for download on the OMCT website:

in English: Angola_OBS_Report_2015.03.19_English

and in Portuguese: Angola_OBS_Relatório_2015.03.19_Português

The Observatory for the Protection of Human RightsDefenders (OBS) was created in 1997 by FIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). The objective of thisprogramme is to intervene to prevent or remedy to situations of repressionagainst human rights defenders.

For more information, please contact:

• FIDH:Arthur Manet/Lucie Kröning: + 33 (0) 1 43 55 25 18

• OMCT:Miguel Martín Zumalacárregui: + 41 (0) 22 809 49 24

• AJPD: MariaLúcia da Silveira: + 244 993401023