A young man is being held and two others are wanted by Angolan authorities for making a video shared on the social network Tik Tok of them talking about hunger in Angola and calling the Angolan president “gatuno”.
In the video in question, three young workers of a Chinese company involved in the work at the new international airport “Agostinho Neto”, which the President of the Republic João Lourenço visited last Saturday, say that they will receive “our thief” and will criticize the waste of the state.
“All the money from the state is here and the people are starving”says one of the young people who criticizes the fact that some construction workers earn more than a teacher.
🇧🇷To those who come from outside, see our country and say that Angola is no longer hungry”he continues, showing the modern infrastructure that began to be developed 25 years ago and the cost of which in 2017 already exceeded 6 billion dollars (5.7 billion euros, at current exchange rates).
“There are many people who suffer, many people who have not eaten for I don’t know how many days, who do not study because of a lack of conditions, many teachers who no longer want to teach because they are poorly paid, others who are corrupt because the state bad pay”is outraged.
Luanda’s Criminal Investigation Service (SIC) announced on Wednesday the arrest of one of the three young men, aged 24, and is taking steps to find the other two, who are on the run.
“They produced an offensive video, a video with offensive content”said Manuel Halaiwa, director of the Institutional Communication and Press Office of SIC, explaining that crimes of indignation against the state, defamation and defamation against the president of the republic and his symbols are at stake.
“This video went viral on social media and damages the image of the Kingdom Representative and his symbols”he stressed, reinforcing SIC’s call for young people to “use social networks for positive purposes”.
The crime of indignation against the Angolan state, its symbols and organs is set out in Article 333, introduced in 2020 in the new penal code.
The controversial article provoked criticism from various corners of society, with Justice and Human Rights Minister Francisco Queiroz guaranteeing that the aim was not to avoid criticism of the President of the Republic’s actions.
Paragraph 1 of the said article provides that “anyone who publicly and with intent to insult or defame the Republic of Angola, the President of the Republic or any other sovereign body by means of words, images, writings, drawings or sounds, shall be punished with imprisonment of 6 months to 3 years or a fine of 60 to 360 days”.
In an interview with Angola’s public television in November 2020, Francisco Queiroz emphasized that that article was intended to protect people’s good name, honor and dignity, a protection that would be strengthened by being applied to national symbols and the president of the Republic.
The minister also guaranteed that the publication of caricatures would not be banned, contradicting the fears of some opinion formers.
At the time, non-governmental organizations such as Friends of Angola were concerned about the criminalization of young civil and political activists due to the introduction of Article 333.º and appealed to the President of the Republic to stop the measure.
Some Angolan lawyers also warned at the time that this rule could pose a threat to freedom of expression and freedom of the press.
Source: DN
