Em ocasião do dia internacional dos direitos humanos, a Friends Of Angola (FoA), aproveita o ensejo para saudar a todos os angolanos, sobretudo aqueles On the occasion of International Human Rights Day, Friends Of Angola (FoA) would like to take this opportunity to salute all Angolans, especially those who fight daily against human rights violations in Angola and around the world. On this day, we will not fail to present, albeit briefly, the state of human rights in Angola.

Article 1 of the Constitution of the Republic says: Angola is a sovereign and independent Republic, based on the dignity of the human person and the will of the Angolan people, whose fundamental objective is the construction of a free, just, democratic society, with solidarity, peace, equality and social progress. Unfortunately, the human rights situation in Angola is one of the worst in the world.

In practice, the fundamental rights of Angolans are trampled on every day by the government which, by right, should be the first to guarantee them. Unfortunately, nearly five decades after independence, hundreds of Angolans continue to live deprived of the fundamental rights, freedoms and guarantees protected by the Angolan Constitution (Articles 30 to 55). Thousands do not have access to quality education, hundreds of children miss out on elementary school every year, many are subjected to poor health, and more than half the population lives in extreme poverty.

It is important to remember that Angola is a signatory to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), which protect the right to life, freedom of assembly and freedom of association (in articles 2, 20, 22 and 10, respectively).

Friends Of Angola calls for the release of political prisoners Gilson da Silva Moreira, Hermenegildo José Victor André, Abraão Pedro dos Santos and Adolfo Miguel Campos André.

Once again, we also hope that the Angola Government will embrace democratic values, respecting the freedom of assembly and expression of Angolan citizens so that we can finally build a prosperous and democratic Angola, with peace and social justice for all.

Sincerely,

Florindo Chivucute

Executive Director

Friends of Angola