wr2014_web_0

WORLD REPORT 2014AngolaJosé Eduardo Dos Santos, Angola’s president for the past 34 years, securedanother five-year term in the August 2012 elections. Although the polls consolidatedthe control of the ruling Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola(MPLA), the authorities intensified repressive measures to restrict freedom ofexpression, association, and assembly in 2013.The government has pursued numerous criminal defamation lawsuits againstoutspoken journalists and activists, while continuing to use police abuse, arbitraryarrests, and intimidation to prevent peaceful anti-government protests,strikes, and other gatherings from taking place. The government also resumedmass forced evictions of informal settlements in 2013 and launched a new initiativeto remove street traders in the capital, Luanda. Both measures affectAngola’s poorest communities and have been conducted with brutality.Freedom of ExpressionFreedom of expression is severely restricted in Angola due to limited independentmedia, self-censorship, and government repression. Only 3 percent of theAngolan population has access to the Internet and social media, which are themain channels for commenting on government policies.The authorities use criminal defamation laws to silence and intimidate journalistsand bloggers. On July 5, bloggers José Gama and Lucas Pedro were chargedwith “abuse of press freedom” and defamation for articles published on thenews website www.club-k.net, which is hosted outside of Angola. Brought byAngola’s attorney general and the criminal investigation police director, thelawsuits are based on articles published between January and May thataccused the attorney general of corruption and criminal investigation policeofficers of torture.Between March and July, Rafael Marques, an investigative journalist and humanrights defender who won the Transparency International Integrity Award in2013, was charged with defamation in 11 criminal lawsuits. The plaintiffs arehigh-ranking generals, their business associates, and three private companiesthat operate in the diamond-rich Lunda Norte province. Marques accused the78