By Hitler Samussuku
Africa-Press – Angola. Since 1975, the MPLA has shaped the Angolan state in its image, eliminating any pretense of separation of powers and transforming justice into a mechanism of oppression.
The 2010 Constitution, although formally democratic, concentrated absolute powers in the President of the Republic, a figure not directly elected by the people, but who controls Parliament, the Judiciary and the security forces.
The result is a system where the law does not serve to guarantee rights, but to persecute opponents, limit citizens’ political participation and ensure the perpetuation of the regime.
The Angolan justice system is not impartial – it is a political weapon. Proof of this was the dismissal of judge Manuel Aragão, who in 2021 denounced the “suicide of the Democratic and Legal State”.
In her place was Laurinda Cardoso, an MPLA activist, whose first decision was to annul UNITA’s legitimate congress in 2019, delegitimizing the leadership of Adalberto Costa Júnior. This was not an isolated act: courts have been used to criminalize activists, prevent protests and even freeze the bank accounts of opposition parties, while regime figures have embezzled millions without consequences.
The Supreme Court and the Court of Auditors function as extensions of the Executive, not as oversight bodies. Judges are chosen for loyalty, not competence, and their decisions follow “superior orders”.
During the José Eduardo dos Santos era, the manipulation of the justice system was already evident, but under João Lourenço, the situation has worsened. The discourse of “fighting corruption” only applies to political enemies, while allies of the regime act with total impunity.
The objective is clear: to maintain power at any cost. Whether through fraudulent processes, judicial intimidation or electoral manipulation, the MPLA ensures that no dissenting voice threatens its rule.
Justice, which should protect citizens, has become their jailer. Meanwhile, the Angolan people, suffocated by poverty and repression, see their rights denied by a system that only exists to serve those in power.
True change will only come when Justice stops being an instrument of oppression and becomes, in fact, a pillar of democracy.
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