(MISA/IFEX) – On 11 December 2000, the Provincial and Supreme Court in Luanda ordered the National Emigration Police to lift the travel restrictions imposed on journalists Rafael Marques, Aguiar dos Santos and Antonio Freitas. However, less than a day after the court’s ruling, on 12 December, the border police refused to allow Marques to leave […]
(MISA/IFEX) – On 11 December 2000, the Provincial and Supreme Court in Luanda ordered the National Emigration Police to lift the travel restrictions imposed on journalists Rafael Marques, Aguiar dos Santos and Antonio Freitas. However, less than a day after the court’s ruling, on 12 December, the border police refused to allow Marques to leave the country and instead confiscated his passport.
Marques and Dos Santos had been convicted of defaming the president and sentenced to various jail terms and fines. Both had their sentences suspended, with Marques’ sentence suspended for five years, during which time he could not talk or write publicly or travel outside the country. Dos Santos, the director of the weekly paper “Agora”, initially had no travel restrictions placed on him as a result of his conviction and was authorised to travel in June, but then suddenly in November was banned from travelling. Freitas, the editor of “Agora”, was acquitted in the same trial as Marques and Dos Santos but, strangely, also had travel restrictions imposed on him.
The order by the Supreme Court to lift the travel restrictions against the three journalists came after several appeals and petitions to the court by Marques, who argued that the restrictions were a violation of Article 13 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 12 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which are applied in Angola through Article 21 of the Constitution.
Nevertheless, on 12 December, Marques was stopped by emigration police at Luanda Airport from boarding a plane and was told that they had strict instructions not to allow him to leave the country. His passport was subsequently confiscated and he was told to go home.
When contacted by MISA, Marques made it clear that he believed the orders had come from the presidency. He considered himself as having been stripped of his citizenship.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to the president:
– strongly protesting the unilateral action against Marques by the emigration police
– pointing out that the emigration police’s actions are patently illegal since they go against a direct order of the court allowing Marques to travel
– further noting that the actions are in conflict with freedom of movement provisions contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Angola is a signatory
– calling on him to urgently intervene to ensure that Marques’ passport is restored to him and that he is allowed to travel
Appeals To
APPEALS TO:
Hon Jose Eduardo dos Santos
President of the Republic of Angola
Tel: +244 2 353 877 / 354 545 / 391 691
Fax: +244 2 331 898 / 331 885
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
