Africa-Press – Angola. The Liberal Initiative (IL) wants the Government to monitor the human rights situation in Angola and to express concern about recent arrests in the country.
According to a draft resolution presented last Friday in the Assembly of the Republic, the IL proposes that parliament recommend that the Government express concern about the recent arrests “and the way in which police and judicial operations against association leaders and opposition politicians in Angola have been conducted.”
According to the document, it also wants the government to call for respect for the rule of law, freedom of expression, assembly and peaceful demonstration, “urging the abandonment of intimidation practices against political opponents and association leaders.”
IL also wants the government to advocate, particularly in the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), the need to strengthen mechanisms for monitoring and promoting fundamental freedoms in member states, “applying the same rigor and demands to all, regardless of political proximity to their respective governments.”
The Portuguese government, IL argues, must encourage dialogue to reduce political tension and prevent new episodes of repression.
The draft resolution comes in the wake of violent episodes in Angola in recent weeks, with several arrests.
In the document, IL cites cases of arrests, and says that these are not isolated cases, referring to “hundreds of arrests and dozens of deaths” that have been recorded during demonstrations and workers’ strikes in recent weeks.
“The pattern is worrying: peaceful protests and strikes are becoming a pretext for disproportionate police operations, which further weaken the civic and associative space in Angola,” the document states, highlighting that Portugal cannot ignore “signs of deterioration of the rule of law” in one of the CPLP member states.
Several provinces in Angola, with the epicenter in Luanda, recorded protests and riots between July 28 and 30, following a shutdown of taxi services, resulting in 30 deaths, more than two hundred injuries and more than 1,500 arrests, according to Angolan authorities.
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