Africa-Press – Angola. The Angolan Bar Association (OAA), which mobilized more than 600 lawyers to defend citizens detained and accused of vandalism, rioting, looting, sabotage, and resistance against the authorities in the July riots, claims that many defendants are being convicted without evidence, “just to show authority,” and denounces human rights violations in police stations.
The OAA told Novo Jornal that many judges “are not delivering justice in the name of the people, but in the name of the Government”, highlighting that the Law “is being trampled” in court.
According to the Angolan Bar Association, judges in the courts are demonstrating that justice is under the “cafrique” of the system, “which is why many do not want to play their role.”
In statements to Novo Jornal, lawyer Calisto Moura, coordinator of the OAA’s duty to monitor people detained in connection with the riots, vandalism and looting recorded in Luanda and other provinces of Angola, said that the National Police, in many cases, has not presented evidence of the accusation or the reasons for the arrests.
According to Calisto Moura, there are cases in which more than 50 people are named as defendants, accused of the same crimes, without evidence in the case.
“Unfortunately, the presence of the perpetrators (the police officer who made the arrest) has not been verified at the trial hearings. They never appear,” he lamented.
According to Calisto Moura, although the OAA discusses and presents arguments and appeals, “it is unfortunately the political power and the courts that have the final say.”
The OAA emphasizes that there are judges who demonstrate a commitment to justice, which is why some appeals dictate the freedom of many citizens.
“Unfortunately, there are judges who are too harsh and are sentencing citizens to preventive detention with a one-year prison sentence,” he says.
The Bar Association also states that the number of people arrested in the July riots has put the judicial system to the test.
According to the coordinator of the OAA’s duty to monitor people detained during the riots, some judges “were actually forced to sentence, thus demonstrating that they are not independent.”
The lawyer also stated that many cases were only expedited due to the intervention of the Angolan Bar Association.
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