Angolan civil movement condemns arbitrary detention of 235 people in the east of the country

The Angolan civil movement Muday condemned the detention of 235 people in four provinces of eastern Angola “without flagrant crime, without warrant, without just cause and allegedly subjected to ill-treatment,” pointing out the existence of human rights violations.

In a report presented on Tuesday in Luanda, Mudei emphasizes that detainees are in prisons in the provinces of Cuando Cubango, Moxico, Lunda Norte and Lunda Sul, with the latter holding the largest number of detainees, and a judgment process is currently underway.

According to the movement, the arrests began on October 6, 2023 and continued until March 27 of this year, the date of the last record they had at the time of the report.

This report, in essence, examines human rights violations “that are due to the political and socio-economic situation in the eastern regions of the country, in particular Moxico, Quando Cubango, Sur Lundas and Norte.”

The study mentions “problems of political persecution, arbitrary arrests and unfair trials against protesting citizens and members of the independence movement in the region, the so-called Sociological Legal Manifesto of the Lundes People (MJSPL).”

According to the study, the eastern region of the country has been the scene of movements of a similar nature for several years, referring to the Lunda Chokwe Protectorate Movement, led by José Matheus Zekamutchima, imprisoned between 2021 and 2023 and convicted “for allegedly masterminding the alleged rebellion.”

There are 24 detainees in Moxico province, of which 22 are members of the MSJPL, accused of treason, resistance and damage to valuables and public interests, he adds.

According to Mudea, the prosecution “does not work,” emphasizing that “among those detained there are defendants who were detained two months after the first, and there was not even an individualization of the facts and the level of participation in each of them.” crimes charged against the co-defendants.”

At Lunda Sul in Saurimo, the provincial capital, there were 240 detainees, a number that has now been reduced to 180 and remains in custody awaiting trial, with four more awaiting release and two convicted of previous crimes.

Those detained in the diamond province are accused of rebellion, criminal association, participation in riots, causing bodily harm, causing damage and disobeying dispersal and assembly orders.

Lunda Norte province held 25 detainees, of whom 18 have already been released, while the remaining seven remain in custody awaiting trial.

Muday concludes in the report that as a result of the steps taken, “it is clear that serious and frequent violations of human rights and violations of the judicial process are occurring in the eastern regions of Angola.”

“Arbitrary detention, unconstitutional practices and lack of transparency in judicial processes require urgent, deeper analysis and concrete measures to guarantee fairness and respect for the fundamental rights of detainees,” he adds.

“In a situation characterized by arbitrary arrests, abuses of power and disrespect for fundamental rights, the actions of the Muday Civil Movement and the investigations carried out highlight the importance of monitoring and protecting human rights in Angola,” he concludes.

In preparing the report, consultations were held with MSJPL members, family members and lawyers of some of the detainees, as well as representatives of local courts, the document says.