Africa-Press – Angola. The inmates who were serving a prison sentence in the Comarca do Cuito jail, in Bié province, and who benefited, this Thursday, from the Amnesty Law, praised the gesture of pardon by the President of the Republic, João Lourenço.
The local court started yesterday to restore freedom to 24 citizens covered by the Amnesty Law, confined in the jails of Comarca do Cuito and Capolo, with the beneficiaries considering the decision of the Head of State as an opportunity to change behavior.
Shortly after receiving the release certificate, Emanuel Paulo Ângelo, 25 years old, who served a sentence of three years and two months for theft, said that from now on he will live accordingly, to honor the gesture of Holder of Executive Power.
A resident of the Engenharia neighbourhood, on the outskirts of the city of Cuito, the young man intends to continue studying, to give his life another direction, advancing that he missed many opportunities while in detention.
The teenager Henrique Zacarias, 17 years old, who was imprisoned for nine months, also for theft, also intends to continue his studies. Prior to detention he was attending 9th grade.
With the practice of the same crime, Sabino Cossengue, 37 years old, was serving prison terms. Repentant, he promised never to touch other people’s things again, also thanking the nobility of President João Lourenço.
Born in the municipality of Catabola, Sabino Cossengue is the father of 13 children, despite not having a job, he said that he would travel to Malanje province in search of means of support for his family, working on farms.
The amnesty law was approved by the National Assembly, in Luanda, with 120 votes in favour, none against and 82 abstentions (all from the opposition).
With the approval of this Diploma, all common crimes with prison sentences of up to eight years, committed by national or foreign citizens in the period between November 12, 2015 and November 11, 2022, will be amnesty.
On the occasion, the presiding judge of the District Court of Cuito, Nganga Pilartes da Silva, without advancing the total number of releases issued, said that the number of those covered was greater, highlighting, however, the need for beneficiaries to adopt conduct based on principles of coexistence Social.
The person in charge also understands that the gesture is an opportunity that the President of the Republic, João Lourenço, granted to all prisoners serving light sentences, as part of the celebrations of the 47th anniversary of National Independence.
Already on the 6th of this month, 26 inmates of the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) and the national police were released, in this province, under the same Law.
Of those arrested, 15 are from the FAA and 11 from the police.
It should be noted that the last amnesty took place in 2016. At the time, the provincial court of Bié freed 201 prisoners from the jails of Comarca do Cuito and Capolo.
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