Angola Jails 17 Activists
An Angolan court sentenced 17 activists for allegedly rebelling against the government on March 28. The group consists of 15 young activists that have come to be known as the Angola 15, as well as two other affiliated members. The detained activists belong to a movement that has been accused of planning an uprising against the Angolan government. They were first arrested in June while holding a book club discussion on nonviolent resistance. Among the Angola 15 is Luaty Beirão, rapper and dual Angolan/Portuguese citizen. His detainment last June sparked protests in Portugal, the former holder of Angola during the colonial era.
The court’s decision to sentence the accused activists is evidence of the increasingly deteriorating status of rights and freedom in the country. Amnesty International’s Deprose Muchena says, “the activists have been wrongly convicted in a deeply politicized trial. They are the victims of a government determined to intimidate anyone who dares to question its repressive policies.”
In objection to the injustice of their imprisonment, the arrested activists went on a hunger strike last September. Beirão continued his hunger strike for 36 days, a day for each year Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos Santos has been in power. Following the hunger strikes, fellow Angolan activists holding a vigil for the release of the detained were also arrested.
Despite the strikes, vigils, protests in Portugal, an #Angola15 twitter campaign, and even a letter of concern from the US Senate’s Committee on Foreign Relations, all seventeen activists were sentenced to serve verdicts ranging from two to eight years.
The activists are tied to a greater political movement against the ruling People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) and President dos Santos. The grievances of the activists as well as the general criticism against the MPLA are centered on the lack of distribution of the country’s oil wealth.
The MPLA government, which has ruled the country since Angola’s independence in 1975, has placed a great emphasis on big infrastructure projects. With help from its partners, China and Brazil, the government has prioritized the building of roads and football stadiums over investing in education, healthcare, or economic development. The wealth acquired from oil revenues has continued to stay concentrated amongst a small elite, while millions live without access to basic services. Additionally, unemployment remains high and the majority of Angolans continue to live in slum-like conditions.
President dos Santos, who assumed office in 1979, made claims earlier last month that he would step down in 2018. His remarks have been met with skepticism as he has made similar promises in the past. All this has taken place amid concerns about worsening corruption and growing unrest among civil society.