Africa-Press – Angola. More than 500 Angolan lawyers have been mobilized to defend citizens detained following the riots in Angola, the president of the Bar Association announced, advocating for the rehabilitation of convicts and the social protection of minors released.
The guarantee of a “fair trial” for those arrested in connection with the riots, vandalism and looting recorded in Luanda and other provinces in the interior of Angola at the beginning of last week motivated the Angolan lawyers who joined the appeal of the Angolan Bar Association (OAA), said José Luís Domingos.
“This was the motivation, the Order, in this context, mobilized more than 500 lawyers across the country, who, voluntarily and committed only to advocacy and justice, are dedicating their knowledge so that trials are as fair as possible,” the president said in statements to Lusa.
José Domingos argued that the mobilization of lawyers in defense of the more than 1,200 people detained reflects the “OAA’s commitment to the rule of law and to the country”, recalling that the presumption of innocence “is a fundamental right”, guaranteed by the Constitution, “as is access to justice”.
“In the wake of the high number of arrests, which resulted in several people being subjected to questioning and trial, this procedure would not be possible without the presence of lawyers,” he said.
At least 240 people have begun to be tried in recent days in cases related to the riots and acts of vandalism recorded in Luanda and in the interior of Angola between July 28 and 30, following the strike called by taxi drivers.
From the trials, there are already records of convictions and acquittals of some defendants, including children, who have been released to their families.
Expressing “recognition and gratitude” to all the lawyers mobilized, José Luís Domingos considered that any abnormal situation, such as the one recorded last week in Angola, generates “serious constraints” in the administration of justice.
“I believe that [the Angolan State] was also not prepared to deal with such a sudden avalanche of trials and it is clear that, in this logic, many of the procedures may not be the most recommended,” he stressed.
According to the president, the lawyers’ concern has been to “draw attention” and, mainly, “prevent minors, because they are not accountable, from being subject to procedural coercive measures, or interrogation or even trial”, which he believes is being achieved.
He also warned of the need to separate defendants without a criminal record from those who have previously committed a crime, “depending on the severity, and also to take into account extraordinary mitigating circumstances, such as unemployment.”
The president of the OAA acknowledged that some people “exceeded the limit of what is legally permitted,” advocating, however, for less severe sanctions, always focused on resocialization.
“We understand that even those who are subject to deprivation of liberty measures should opt for the simplest ones, because I believe that many of these citizens, if their guilt is proven, are unemployed,” he said, arguing that, “ultimately,” they should be sent to work.
“Instead of simply incarcerating people (…), it is necessary for them to leave detention centers resocialized, with professions,” he insisted.
Regarding minors, who have now been returned to their families, José Luís Domingos urged institutions to monitor these children to prevent them from returning to antisocial practices, and also urged the Angolan government to “engage in more dialogue” with society.
“There is still a great call to attention to the social conditions [of Angolans] which have not been the best,” he concluded.
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