17 pro-democracy activists should be cleared of all charges following UN decision

Paris-Geneva-Luanda,July 4, 2016 - The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (apartnership of FIDH and OMCT), and the Working Group of Monitoring HumanRights in Angola (GTMDH)[1]welcome the decision of the Supreme Court to order the provisional release ofthe 17 rights activists jailed for participating in a book club meeting in June2015, where one of the works under discussion was a book about non-violentresistance to repressive regimes. The organisations also welcome the recentdecision of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) recognisingthe arbitrary nature of their detention. FIDH, OMCT, AJPD and OSISA-ANGOLA hadfiled a communication to the WGAD on their behalf on September 23, 2015.

On June 29,2016, the Supreme Court of Angola eventually ordered the conditional release of17 young activists, three months after they were jailed for rebellion and ayear after their arbitrary arrest[2].

Some of theyouths have spent 12 months in detention. Sixteen were released but remainsubjected to Term of Residential Identity. The seventeenth, Mr. ManuelChivonde Baptista Nito Alves, is serving a six-month prison term for“contempt of court”.

Theirrelease is provisional, pending the outcome of the appellate judicialproceedings. On March 28, 2016, the Luanda Provincial Tribunal sentenced the 16pro-democracy activists to jail terms ranging from two years and three monthsto eight years and six months for the alleged crimes of “preparatory acts ofrebellion” (Article 21 of the Criminal Code) and “association of criminals”(Article 263), among other charges[3].

“While we welcome the long-awaitedrelease of sixteen of the young rights activists, we strongly deplore thejudicial harassment which led to this arbitrary detention for more than a year”,our organisations said today.

On the sameday that the Angola Supreme Court issued its order, the WGAD released itsOpinion concerning the detention of 14 of the young rights activists[4].

The WGAD considered that “these individuals were arrestedand detained because of the exercise of their freedom of assembly, opinion andexpression” in violation of Articles 19 and 20 of the Universal Declaration ofHuman Rights (UDHR) and Articles 19 and 21 of the International Covenant onCivil and Political Rights (ICCPR). It also stated that their right to a fairtrial had not been respected to the extent that their deprivation of libertywas arbitrary. The Working group finally concluded that as anadequate remedy for their arbitrary detention, the Angola authorities shouldimmediately release the activists still in detention, compensate them and putan end to all unlawful criminal proceedings against them.

“Wewelcome the Opinion of the WGAD, to which our organisations submitted acommunication on this case. Now the Angolaauthorities must implement the WGAD decision and drop all charges against the17 activists and more generally stop the harassment of all human rightdefenders in the country”, concluded our organisations.

TheObservatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders was created in 1997 byFIDH and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT). The objective of thisprogramme is to intervene to prevent or remedy situations of repression againsthuman rights defenders.

For moreinformation, please contact:

• FIDH: Arthur Manet / Audrey Couprie: +33143552518

• OMCT:Delphine Reculeau: +41228094934 / Chiara Cosentino: +41228094937

•GTMDH: Maria Lúcia da Silveira: +244993401023

[1] The Working Group on Human Rights Monitoring in Angola (GTMDH) is a networkthat brings together 18 civil society organizations with nationwide coverage.The members include: ACC, AJPD, AJUDECA, ANGOLA 2000, FORDU, MBAKITA, MOSAIKO,NCC, OMUNGA, OSISA-ANGOLA, PMA, RNP+Angola, SCARJOV, SOS HABITAT.

[2] See the Observatory Urgent Appeal AGO001 / 0615 / OBS 053 of June 29, 2015.

[3] See the Observatory Urgent Appeal AGO001 / 0615 / OBS 053.3 of March 31, 2016.

[4] See UN WGAD Opinion No. 21/2016 (Angola), UN DocumentA/HRC/WGAD/2016, May 31, 2016..