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| Africa Subsaharan |
| HRW accuses Angolan police of extrajudicial killings |
| 2023-08-08 |
| [AFRICANEWS] Angola's police have allegedly killed over a dozen activists since January, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said Monday, urging the government to swiftly probe reports of abuse and rights violations. "activists" like "mostly peaceful" is subject to interpretation The country's law enforcement authorities have also been accused of the arbitrary arrests and detention of hundreds, the NGO said in a statement. Angolan law enforcement authorities including police, state security and intelligence services "have been implicated in unlawful killings of at least 15 people", HRW said. Political activists, artists and protest organizers were the main targets of the "alleged rights violations", which HRW has condemned. "Angolan authorities should urgently act to end abusive police policies and practices and ensure that there is justice for victims and their family members," Zenaida Machado, senior Africa researcher at HRW said in the statement. Although the government has attempted to improve law enforcement, criminal prosecutions against police officers who commit these violations remain rare, HRW said. The arrests are more frequent in the oil-rich northern province of Cabinda, close to the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the last six months, HRW has interviewed 32 people across the country including victims and their relatives, witnesses and security sources. In one instance men who identified as criminal investigation service members held a group of young men in custody "whose bodies were found three days later at a hospital morgue,". A friend of the victims, who were known for participating in anti-government protests, said that police had been monitoring the group. Angola's ruling party, the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), has denied HRW's claims. "Investigations are already underway," party spokesman Rui Falcao told AFP. "However, we find it strange that those calling for the necessary investigations already have conclusions and are passing judgment," Falcao said. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 Speaking of Take twenty Angolans, a boat, And add water. America! Note: It was already here, And the very next year Came the Pilgrims, although, and I quote, "Just we African captives can vote!" |
| Posted by: Betty Smith3435 2023-08-08 22:47 |