(MISA/IFEX) – Journalist Isidoro Natalício, based in Ndalatando, capital city of Kwanza-Norte, faced an allegedly orchestrated demonstration of “supposed” war veterans in front of his house on 8 November 2000. A group of over fifty people, composed mostly of teenagers, attended the demonstration. “Down with the liar sold to the dollars!”, “Get out of here, […]
(MISA/IFEX) – Journalist Isidoro Natalício, based in Ndalatando, capital city of Kwanza-Norte, faced an allegedly orchestrated demonstration of “supposed” war veterans in front of his house on 8 November 2000.
A group of over fifty people, composed mostly of teenagers, attended the demonstration. “Down with the liar sold to the dollars!”, “Get out of here, intriguer!”, “Viva November 11 in Kwanza-Norte!”, and “Viva comrade president José Eduardo dos Santos!” were the slogans written on the banners carried by the demonstrators. The protesters also shouted the same slogans against the journalist for over thirty minutes.
Lucinda Pedro, the journalist’s wife, reported that at 8:00 a.m. (local time) she was rushed out of the hospital, where she was receiving treatment, to return home immediately, because the police had surrounded her house. She had been fetched by a neighbour, who when seeing over fifteen police officers taking up positions and besieging Natalício’s house, rushed in and sought safe shelter for the journalist’s five young children. Natalício was not home at the time either.
One of the police officers told Pedro that they were there to protect them against “the fury” of the angry demonstrators. Independent sources confirmed that the local authorities had authorised the demonstration in record time.
Natalício, who spoke to Rafael Marques from the Luanda office of the Open Society Initiative, said the demonstration “is a clear orchestration” of the Kwanza-Norte’s provincial governor, Manuel Pedro Pacavira. “One of the demonstrators, a worker for the local authorities, revealed to me that he was pressed by the governor to take part in the demonstration,” said the journalist.
Natalício fears for his life and his family. “I am in shatters, I’ve lost my appetite. If things are already this bad, what is going to happen to us next?” asked Pedro, crying over the phone. She added “I am thinking of running away. I told my husband to give up his bloody profession and avoid further problems. I can no longer bear it!”
Meanwhile, the provincial bureau of criminal investigation (DPIC) has reportedly ordered Natalício to report to their offices on 9 November to undergo interrogation into a claim of slander and defamation by him against the governor, despite the fact that he does not have a lawyer. Natalício was given respite against being interrogated on 7 November, when he insisted on having a lawyer present. However, MISA sources report that the DPIC has now waived this respite and are insisting on interrogating him. Natalício’s predicament is compounded by logistical difficulties associated with Kwanza-Norte, including the fact that there is no lawyer in the province, and there are only two regular weekly flights to the province from the capital, Luanda, from where a lawyer will have to come.
In another development, on 8 November, Kwanza-Norte’s provincial court formally charged Natalício with defamation and slander against Governor Pacavira, stemming from a 1998 broadcast. The accusation against the journalist is based on a news item by Natalício on Rádio Ecclésia in November 1998 in which he reported that the local bank had funds to pay the salaries of public employees, already three months in arrears at the time, but could not do so without the governor’s authorisation. The accusation also cites a separate report in which Natalício held the local authorities accountable for the lack of food in the province.
According to the charge sheet, the journalist is being charged in terms of Article 407 and Article 34 (20) of the Penal Code. He is due to appear in court on 30 November in connection with the case.
Background Information
On 7 November, Natalício received a veiled threat from Governor Pacavira amid news that there was to be a demonstration in front of his house because of a report he had filed on Radio Ecclesia on 3 November. The report was about a public rally at which the governor was booed by an angry mob of war veterans, ex-political prisoners and maimed soldiers for failing to keep his word on paying them their pensions, in arrears since January.
In a meeting with the governor, the journalist was told: “I don’t know what is going to happen to you in the next twenty-four hours.”
Furthermore, during this same meeting, the governor blamed Radio Ecclesia for “spearheading” a campaign against his image and dignity and for reporting only on the bad things happening in the province, to the detriment of any achievement. As for Natalício’s role in what he saw as a campaign against him, he said that the journalist was giving very little coverage to religious events, in favour of critical issues.
In a separate but related development, early on 7 November, Natalício received a subpoena from the DPIC for allegedly defaming and slandering the provincial governor in his 3 November news report on Radio Ecclesia. The complaint was filed by the governor’s press office, but the governor, during his meeting with the journalist, denied any knowledge of the complaint.
Natalício was summoned to the office of DPIC on 7 November, where he was questioned. However, he refused to answer any questions unless he was allowed access to a lawyer. As a result, he was given a day to report to the office of the provincial attorney with his lawyer for further questioning.
Natalício has an appeal pending in the provincial court against an eviction warrant issued by the court in June. The provincial court ordered Natalício to vacate his house on the accusation that he had converted his home into an office for Voice of America, Radio Ecclesia and the Portuguese news agency LUSA. The charge has been denied by the journalist, whose only equipment at home is a typewriter and a telephone, which he uses to string for the referred media outlets. He does not have anyone working with him.
The provincial court was due to make its ruling on his home on 8 November.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to authorities:
– strongly condemning the clear harassment of Natalício as a result of his work as a journalist
– calling on them to urgently ensure his safety and freedom to work as a journalist
– pointing out that their failure to do so would be in clear violation of the Angolan Constitution and international treaties to which Angola is a signatory and which guarantee the right to freedom of expression and the right to seek and impart information
Appeals To
APPEALS TO:Hon Jose Eduardo dos Santos
President of the Republic of Angola
Tel: +244 2 353877 / 354545 / 391691
Fax: +244 2 331898 / 331885Sr Fernando da Piedade dias dos Santos
Minister of Interior
Tel: +244 2 391079 / 391049
Fax: +244 2 321034Sr Manuel Pedro Pacavira
Governor of Kwanza-Norte Province
Tel: +244 35 80100 / 80025 / 80148 / 80059Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
