Africa-Press – Angola. The Angolan Journalists’ Union (SJA), the Southern African Social Communication Institute (MISA-Angola), and the Ethics and Professional Conduct Commission (CCE) are concerned about the arrests of Angolan journalists by the Criminal Investigation Service (SIC), which states that it will continue to detain media professionals for alleged involvement in acts of terrorism and promotion of demonstrations and looting, in a case that the authorities say is led by two Russian citizens belonging to the organization Africa Politology.
The SJA, MISA-Angola, and the CCE say they are concerned because they cannot understand the link created by the authorities between journalistic activity and acts of terrorism, but they appeal for calm within the profession and ask journalists not to allow fear to prevent them from carrying out their profession.
According to the SJA, the detained journalists will receive legal assistance from lawyers hired by the SJA and its partners.
Pedro Miguel, secretary general of the Angolan Journalists’ Union, told Novo Jornal this morning that the SJA is following with concern the arrests of journalists accused of terrorism and other crimes.
According to Pedro Miguel, journalists Carlos Tomé, from Angolan Public Television (TPA), and Alfredo Bumba, from Jornal Expansão, both detained by the SIC, will be accompanied by lawyers hired by the SJA.
The union leader assures that only lawyers will be able to clarify to the SJA what is actually happening, considering that, for now, it is premature to take a position on the matter, since so far these are only suspicions of accusations.
Pedro Miguel appeals for calm and tranquility within the class, reinforcing his call to journalists not to neglect their role.
Novo Jornal learned that in addition to the SJA’s concern, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is also concerned about the arrests of journalists in Luanda.
The president of the Ethics and Professional Conduct Committee (CCE), Luísa Rogeiro, says she is shocked by the arrest of journalists accused of involvement in acts of terrorism and assures that the CCE will join the SJA to provide support to the detained professionals.
Luísa Rogeiro said that the CCE is concerned about the arrests and that it will work with the SJA and MISA-Angola to determine what is actually happening.
André Mussamo, president of MISA-Angola, told Novo Jornal that the nature of journalistic activity can lead to one or another colleague, in the exercise of the profession, being drawn into illicit activity, “because sometimes, sources interested in advantages are cunning, hence there were failures”, but he does not believe that journalists are implicated in a crime of terrorism.
MISA expresses solidarity and joins SJA in providing legal support to detained professionals.
It is worth remembering that last week the SIC arrested TPA journalist Carlos Tomé, 38, and this Thursday announced the arrest of journalist Alfredo Bumba, from Jornal Expansão, both accused of the crimes of criminal association, document forgery, terrorism and financing of terrorism.
Novo Jornal understands that Alfredo Bumba is a journalist for the economic weekly Expansão and founder of the Peace and Good Educational Center (CEPB), which welcomes and teaches literacy to 650 students who were previously outside the education system. The school has been operating for over 11 years in the Golf 2 neighborhood of the Kilamba Kiaxi municipality and has already taught hundreds of children to read and write.
The arrest, says the SIC, “is the result of a thorough ongoing investigation, which detected their direct participation in these events.”
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