Africa-Press – Angola. Due to the looting that took place in eight provinces of Angola on July 28, 29 and 30, the Angolan government detained journalists Carlos Tomé, from the Angolan Public Television (TPA), and Alfredo Armando Bumba, from the newspaper Expansão.
All because, according to an official statement from the authorities, there is alleged evidence linking them to an alleged criminal association that was involved in document forgery, terrorism and terrorist financing.
The arrest was ordered by a new “relative” of the Angolan judicial system, the guarantor judge. A figure who appears to be useless to Angolans, given recent events.
It’s known that all those arrested—whether taxi drivers, journalists, or even Russians from the alleged Wagner group—accused of criminal association and terrorism remain in prison by order of that judge. The King of Guarantees!
According to article 313 (Acts to be carried out by the judge of guarantees) of the Angolan Code of Criminal Procedure, it is up to the judge of guarantees of the territorially competent Court to apply coercive measures and assess complaints arising from the acts of the Public Prosecutor’s Office that apply precautionary measures in preparatory investigation, among others, not more important.
The expressed concern of the Angolan Journalists’ Union (SJA), MISA-Angola and the Ethics and Card Commission (CCE) regarding the arguments supporting the accusation against the journalists appears to have been ignored.
These organizations question authorities’ attempts to link journalism to terrorism or subversion.
How can it possibly occur to any judge that there is any logic in linking journalistic practice to terrorism?
I’m sure these guarantor judges have seen Angolans eating from garbage and family members starving for food. Isn’t this poverty enough of a reason for someone to get food from the wrong place?
How can journalists be justified in being held for looting? Even if Russian funding were available for journalistic content, that would be corruption, never terrorism. Has anyone seen a journalist looting other people’s property? How can journalists be held in these conditions?
Looking closely, our class needs to gain courage and continue to denounce all crimes committed by the authorities, including those that restrict our freedom.
Still on the subject of the actions of our guarantee judges, I recall the case of the CUT, who was arrested, and three years later it was discovered that the “CUT” was innocent.
The complaint referred to the Treasury’s Single Account (CUT), which was where the complainants claimed to be taking the money, but our judges and prosecutors believed it was a defenseless citizen.
Just as they ruined Zé Eduardo, they’re ruining João Lourenço. The similarity is the imprisonment of three books for having been read.
Gentlemen, release the journalists. The hunger the people are experiencing is reason enough to take to the streets in utter despair.
The idea of arresting innocent people and letting hunger and unemployment run wild could cost us all dearly.
By acting this way, these guarantor judges only increase the pain the people already feel every day due to hunger and misery created by Angola’s incompetent leaders. And, by doing so, they contribute to the maintenance of autocracy in Angola.
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