Amnesty International on Tuesday called for the release of TikToker Ana da Silva Miguel in Angola, who was arrested almost a year ago for insulting Angolan President João Lourenço on social media.
“The Angolan authorities must immediately release Ana da Silva Miguel, also known as No Nahara, as we mark the first anniversary of her arrest, as she should never have been arrested,” warned Amnesty International’s (AI) Deputy Regional Director for the East and Southern Africa, Wongai Chikwanda, as quoted in the statement.
According to a representative of a non-governmental organization (NGO), the conviction of Net Nahara for committing an “attack on the state” is absurd.
“His sentence was extended from six months to two years due to a flawed appeal procedure,” he said.
Chikwanda also said that “Angola’s authorities are abusing the penal code” in an attempt to silence dissent, which he classified as peaceful, arguing that Angola’s Constitution clearly protects freedom of expression, which includes expressing political views on social media.
On August 13, 2023, Angolan authorities arrested Neth Nahara at her home in Luanda, the country’s capital, after she broadcast a live video on TikTok targeting the president, João Lourenço, the NGO recalled.
The following day, Angola’s first instance court found her guilty of “insulting the state, its symbols and organs” under Article 333, he added.
The court therefore sentenced her to six months in prison and imposed a fine of one million kwanzas (about 1,022 euros).
On September 27, Angola’s second instance court increased the sentence to two years following an appeal filed by the Justice Ministry, he continued.
“The court did not authorize Neta Nahara’s lawyers to raise counterarguments on appeal, as required by law, and did not respond to his complaint about the imperfections of the process,” he complained.
In an interview with Lusa, Ana da Silva Miguel’s lawyer explained that it was impossible to appeal to the Supreme Court because the sentence was less than three years, emphasizing that it was the first sentence based on facts that occurred on TikTok, a short video sharing network.
He stressed that during Neta Nahara’s arrest, authorities denied him daily HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) medication for eight months.
“The Angolan authorities have repeatedly used Article 333 of the Criminal Code to justify the arbitrary detention of critics,” he said.
“The authorities must also release four other individuals who have been arbitrarily detained for more than ten months solely for peacefully exercising their human rights to protest and express opinions,” he stressed.
According to Amnesty International, four activists – Adolfo Campos, Hermenegildo Victor José, Abraão Pedro Santos and Gilson Moreira – remain in prison after being detained by police on 16 September 2023 while attempting to participate in a demonstration in Luanda.