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PRESS
RELEASE NR.01/UNITA/ MEMORANDUM ON NON-COMPLIANCE BY THE MPLA 1975-1998 CARTA ABERTA AOS POVOS DE EXPRESSÃO PORTUGUESA
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13 December 2000 - for immediate release Amnesty Promise and Court Orders Ignored as Officials Prevent Rafael Marques From Leaving Angola Angolan journalist and human rights activist Rafael Marques faced further official harassment on the afternoon of 12 December when officials at Luanda airport prevented him from leaving the country and confiscated his passport, even though he had official papers which should have ensured he could travel freely. To mark the 25th anniversary of Angolan independence, President dos Santos announced a general amnesty for a large number of people on 11 November 2000. Last week Manuel Augusto, Vice-Minister for Social Communications, assured international campaigning group Human Rights Watch that this amnesty included Marques, who had been convicted of criminal defamation in March 2000.2,3 John Barker, Head of ARTICLE 19's Africa Programme said: "We are disappointed that the authorities' harassment of Rafael Marques is continuing, despite assurances at the highest level that the case has been laid to rest. We call upon the Angolan government to ensure that the amnesty is upheld and that targeting of human rights activists and media workers ceases immediately." On 27 October 2000, the Angolan Supreme Court upheld the defamation conviction. Although the six months' prison sentence was suspended for five years, Marques was not supposed to talk or write publicly, or to travel during this time. In addition, while his fine was reduced to 50,000 Kwanzas (approx. US$3,762), he was fined an additional 50 Kwanzas per day for six months to be paid to the court for costs. ENDS Notes for Editors 1. Marques was on his way to Johannesburg, South Africa, for a meeting of the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa. He was carrying a provincial court order stating that all travel restrictions upon him had been lifted. 2. Rafael Marques was convicted in March by an Angolan court for defamation of the President and given a six months in prison, but his lawyers paid a bond to keep him out of jail pending appeal before the Supreme Court. 3. ARTICLE 19's submission to the Court in the case described why the legal provisions relating to defamation of high public officials under which Marques was charged were not compatible with Angola's Constitution or international human rights law. The full brief is at www.article19.org/docimages/514.htm. Reply to: Ilana Cravitz, Communications Officer ilana@article19.org Direct line: +44 20 7239 1199 ARTICLE 19, Global Campaign for Free Expression Lancaster House, 33 Islington High Street, London N1 9LH, UK Tel: +44 20 7278 9292, Fax: +44 20 7713 1356, e-mail: info@article19.org, www.article19.org Urmi Shah Press & Information Human Rights Watch, London Email: shahu@gn.apc.org Tel: 020 7713 1995 |
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Última actualização/Last update 17-12-2000 |
