Africa-Press – Angola. Citizens affiliated with political parties or civil society organizations that, in the coming days, intend to demonstrate peacefully will have the protection of the police forces, as provided for in the Constitution, it was announced yesterday in Luanda.
The spokesman for the General Elections Assurance Command Post and director of Public Security and Operations of the National Police reacted thus to posts on social media by individuals from civil society who announced a wave of demonstrations across the country in the coming days.
Commissioner Orlando Bernardo said that civil society organizations wishing to demonstrate must inform the administrative authorities in advance and only then will these bodies inform the decision to the National Police.
In any case, he stressed, the National Police is fully available to collaborate with the promoters of the demonstrations, so that the realization of this fundamental right can be guaranteed, in a climate of security and order.
Orlando Bernardo said that the demonstration must be carried out without weapons and without authorization under the law: “Meetings, demonstrations in public places, these do require prior authorization from the competent authorities, taking into account some restrictions imposed by law, aiming to guarantee the rights of one and the other”.
For Orlando Bernardo, under the terms of articles 4 and 5 of Law 16/91, which is the Law on the Right to Meeting and Demonstration, limitations on the exercise of this right are foreseen, for security reasons.
He stressed that demonstrations will not be allowed within a radius of 100 meters from the sovereign bodies or relevant facilities, as well as restrictions in terms of schedules for taking place.
He reiterated that only peaceful demonstrations will be allowed, so all types of objects that are later turned into weapons, such as stones, sticks and burning tires are prohibited.
He said that in a violent demonstration with burning tires, broken shop glass, it will no longer be the exercise of a fundamental right, but a violation of another right, so the security forces can take restrictive measures or prevent it from continuing. .
He explained that the law also establishes that demonstrations that try to overturn the constitutional order are not allowed, as well as the attempt to assault the Presidential Palace, the National Assembly building or even protests with calls for the cessation of parts of the national territory or demonstrations promoted by non-existent or illegal entities.
“It is essential that citizens understand that within the scope of their assessment and accountability, the Defense and Security Forces have mechanisms that they can resort to to prevent a certain act that is altering public order from taking place”, he clarified, reinforcing that the conditions for the inauguration of the President of the Republic, on the 15th of this month, to take place with order and security.
The command posts are making every effort to ensure that everything goes as planned, and on the day of the investiture of President João Lourenço, in Praça da República, there will be restrictions on the movement and occupation of some spaces in Luanda.
Asked if the number of police officers on the streets is justified, Orlando Bernardo replied that the corporation is carrying out security activities linked to the electoral process, so that it can take place safely, which involves the maximum reduction of the crime rate in the country. and in Luanda in particular.
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