PUBLIC NOTE

 

House Burglary and Threats to The Secretary- General

of The Union of Teachers of Higher Education

Luanda, 11 de Abril de 2023

 

The Association for Justice, Peace and Democracy (AJPD) and Friends of Angola (FOA) learned that on April 10th, 2023, Professor Eduardo Peres Alberto, Secretary General of the Union of Higher Education Teachers, suffered an assault on his residence and received death threats by unknown persons. The assailants broke the glass of one of the rooms of his house and left a message to his daughter saying the next time they will return to kill unless Professor Eduardo Peres Alberto t puts an end to the strike of teachers of Public Higher Education. It is not the first time Professor Eduardo has received a death threat since becoming   the face of a peaceful struggle for teachers of Public Higher Education, which has put his life and his family’s in grave danger.

The AJPD and FOA draw attention to the fact that, for decades, several legally constituted unions have been confronted with threats to their members.  Instead of recommending serious proposals to fix the issues, unions have been victims of subversive strategies to destabilize their internal cohesion and integrity, and their leaders have been subject to and persecution and intimidation by agents of Angolan authority.

The AJPD and FOA urge President João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, to guide the Ministry of Higher Education to negotiate in good faith with all unions particularly with the Union of Higher Education Teachers. We also urge the Criminal Investigation Services (SIC) and the National Police to ensure the physical protection of Professor Eduardo Peres Alberto and their relatives as well as their property, until the individuals who have threatened and destroyed Professor Alberto’s property are identified and brought to justice.

It is SIC’s responsibility to promote a competent and rapid investigation to identify the criminals who are violating the fundamental rights of Professor Eduardo Peres Alberto.

 

The AJPD,

Serra Bango

(Chairman of the Board)

 

A Friends of Angola

Florindo Chivucute

(Executive Director)