Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported Monday that Angola’s police have allegedly killed over a dozen activists since January, urging the government to investigate reports of abuse and rights abuses as soon as possible.
The country’s law enforcement agencies have also been accused of arbitrary arrests and detentions, according to the NGO.
According to HRW, Angolan law enforcement authorities, including police, state security, and intelligence services, “have been implicated in at least 15 unlawful killings.”
Political activists, artists, and protest organizers were the primary targets of the “alleged rights violations” criticized by HRW.
“Angolan authorities must act quickly to end abusive police policies and practices and ensure justice for victims and their families,” said Zenaida Machado, senior Africa researcher at HRW, in a statement.
Despite the government’s efforts to enhance law enforcement, criminal prosecutions of police personnel who commit these breaches remain uncommon, according to HRW.
Arrests are more common in the oil-rich northern province of Cabinda, which borders the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
HRW has interviewed 32 persons around the country in the previous six months, including victims and their relatives, bystanders, and security sources.
In one case, men identifying as criminal investigation service personnel detained a group of young men “whose bodies were discovered three days later at a hospital morgue.”
According to a friend of the victims, who were known to participate in anti-government protests, police had been watching the group.
The People’s Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), Angola’s ruling party, has refuted HRW’s charges.
“Investigations are already underway,” Rui Falcao, a party spokeswoman, told AFP.
“However, we find it strange that those calling for the necessary investigations have already reached conclusions and are passing judgment,” Falcao stated.
According to Human Rights Watch, the country’s main opposition, UNITA, has documented more than 130 incidences of civilians being killed by police forces during rallies since 2017.
Thousands of people demanded Angola’s President Joao Lourenco’s resignation on Saturday during a rally in the capital organized by UNITA to honor its late leader.
Since the government slashed petrol subsidies in June, the oil-rich southern African country has seen a surge of protests.
The move was made to reduce government spending as the economy suffers from a drop in oil prices, which has devalued the kwanza, the local currency. However, it resulted in extremely dramatic increases in fuel prices.
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