The role of Brazil in the promotion of human rights in Angola
Organizations pressure Brazilian government to break its silence and condemn arbitrary detention of 17 Angolan activists
In condemnation of the violations committed by the government of Angola, human rights organizations are pressuring Brazil to speak out against the arbitrary conviction of 17 Angolan activists who were sentenced on March 28. In a letter to the Minister of Foreign Relations, Mauro Vieira, the organizations Conectas Human Rights, Omunga Association and Association for Justice, Peace and Democracy (AJPD) asked the Brazilian government to break its silence and express its concern over the decision by the Angolan authorities.
With the goal of bringing to the attention of Brazil the extent of its responsibility to the African nation, the organizations sent the letter last Wednesday, April 13, on the first day of the meeting of the Brazil-Angola High-Level Bilateral Commission between Vieira and Angolan Foreign Minister Georges Chikoti. According to the organizations, “Brazil has the influence and the instruments necessary to caution and advise its Angolan peers on the subject of human rights, emphasizing the commitments assumed by Angola internationally”.
Since 2011, Angolan organizations have been denouncing recurring practices by the government to restrict the freedom to organize demonstrations, even though the rights to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are enshrined in and protected by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and also by the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights – two international commitments to which Angola is a State Party. In support, Conectas joined the international condemnation following the arrest of the activists and pointed out that the responsibilities assumed internationally by Angola compel its government to respect the rights to freedom of assembly, association and expression.
The organizations believe, therefore, that Brazil, in its role as a global player, could have a positive influence on the protection of human rights in Angola, an attitude they say would resonate throughout the African continent. “We urge the Brazilian government to seize this opportunity to step forward and express its concern over the arbitrary detention of the 17 imprisoned activists. We hope that this step is taken and that Angola undertakes to release the activists and to administer justice,” reads the letter.
- Click here to read the letter sent by the organizations.
