APA-Johannesburg (South Africa) Human Rights Watch (HRW) has accused the Angolan authorities of systematic harassment of government critics amid allegations that at least 15 political activists have been killed by security forces in the first half of this year.
In a statement late Monday, the rights group said She said members of the Angola National Police and its Criminal Investigation Service, and the State Security and Intelligence Service have been implicated in extrajudicial executions and other unlawful killings of at least 15 people, as well as the arbitrary arrests and detention of hundreds more between January and June.
“The Angolan police appear to be targeting those who speak out against government policies,” senior HRW Africa researcher Zenaida Machado said.
These include social and political activists, outspoken artists and protesters who organise or participate in peaceful anti-government activities throughout the country, the researcher said.
In one of the incidents, the bodies of eight young men were found in a morgue in February, days after they were allegedly taken by Criminal Investigation Service officers who were conducting an anti-crime operation in the Cacuaco neighborhood of Luanda.
Police spokesperson Manuel Halawaia dismissed the allegations that agents killed the men as unfounded, telling HRW in April that they were “conducting investigations aimed at finding the authors of this crime.”
The findings of the investigation have not been made public.
In another incident, the police used lethal force against peaceful protesters in June in Huambo city when taxi drivers were protesting an increase in fuel prices.
At least eight people were killed during the incident.
Machado called on the Angolan government to institute “urgent, impartial and transparent investigations into alleged rights violations and appropriately sanction or prosecute security force members responsible.”
“Angolan authorities should urgently take meaningful steps to address unlawful policing or expect further police abuses in the future.”
JN/APA