(CPJ/IFEX) – On 18 October 1999, CPJ expressed its deep concern over the arrest and continued detention of Rafael Marques, a freelance journalist who also represents the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa in Angola. **Updates IFEX alerts of 19 October and 18 October 1999** On 14 October, the Angolan police accused Marques of defamation […]
(CPJ/IFEX) – On 18 October 1999, CPJ expressed its deep concern over the
arrest and continued detention of Rafael Marques, a freelance journalist who
also represents the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa in Angola.
**Updates IFEX alerts of 19 October and 18 October 1999**
On 14 October, the Angolan police accused Marques of defamation in
connection with an article that he published in a July edition of the
independent weekly newspaper “Agora”. In the article, Marques referred to
President dos Santos as a “dictator.”
At 6 a.m. on 16 October, officers of the Criminal Investigation Department
(DNIC) arrested Marques at his Luanda home. Police officers moved Marques to
various locations throughout that day, and eventually detained him at the
“Labortorio de Criminalista” prison in Luanda.
Marques has apparently been charged under Angola’s notorious Law 7/78, also
known as the Law on Crimes Against State Security. Law 7/78 violates Article
35 of the 1992 Angolan Constitution, which guarantees the right to freedom
of expression. However, the absence of a functioning Constitutional Court in
Angola means that Law 7/78 cannot be challenged at this time.
The charge against Marques carries a 2-8 year prison sentence. Marques, who
has been refused access to a lawyer and to his family, has gone on hunger
strike to protest his detention.
On 23 June, the Angolan Minister of Social Communications wrote to CPJ and
assured them that the government of Angola has never intended to “harass any
journalist or shut down the private media.” To CPJ’s dismay, however, the
independent press in Angola has undergone even harsher repression since the
date of that letter. The government’s campaign to muzzle the independent
press in Angola by harassing and intimidating journalists for carrying out
their professional duty violates both the Angolan Constitution and Angola’s
obligations under international law.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the president:
that
Rafael Marques is immediately and unconditionally released
in
the security services to ensure that journalists in Angola are free to do
their work without fear of reprisal or attack
Appeals To
His Excellency Jose Eduardo dos Santos
President of the Republic of Angola
Gabinete da Presidencia da Republica
Luanda, Angola
Fax: +244 2 339 855
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
