June 9,1999
His Excellency Jose Eduardo dos Santos
President of the Republic of Angola
Gabinete da Presidencia da Republica
Luanda, Angola
VIA FAX: +244-2-339855
Your Excellency,
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply concerned over the comments made by the Minister of Social Communication, Hendrik Vaal Neto, in an interview carried on state radio on June 1.
Neto’s comments are particularly alarming because this is not the first time that the Angolan authorities have warned of a crackdown against journalists who are “unpatriotic” or allegedly “inciting treason.” At the same time there has been a marked increase in both the frequency and the seriousness of reported attacks on the media in Angola since late 1998, when the breakdown of the Lusaka Protocol peace accords led to a resumption of the civil war.
On March 1, 1999, the Ministry of Social Communication announced that reporting on draft evasion would be considered a criminal act, and that journalists who disregarded this would “face the sanction of the law, including, among others, the cancellation of the license to publish and withdrawal of the license to broadcast.”
On April 3, 1999, William Tonet, editor of the independent newspaper Folha 8, was interrogated for several hours at the Criminal Investigation Department in Luanda. The military attorney’s office had earlier alleged that certain articles published in Tonet’s newspaper were inciting young men to evade military duty, and that they insulted the Angolan government. An investigating officer wanted Tonet to reveal his sources, and accused him of jeopardizing state security. To date, no formal charges have been made against Tonet.
On April 29, 1999, CPJ wrote to you of our concern over the attack on Luanda-based journalist Josefa Lamberga, again in connection with reporting on draft evasion. To date, we have not received a reply to this letter.
In the June 1 interview, Neto threatened the independent press in Angola with closure if it does not support the government’s war effort against Jonas Savimbi’s UNITA rebel movement. The Minister described the independent press as “supporting Savimbi’s propaganda,” and again said that certain news reports were “unpatriotic” and that they effectively incited young men to disregard military conscription.
As a nonpartisan organization dedicated to the defense of our colleagues worldwide, CPJ is greatly alarmed by these attempts to restrict press freedom. These infringements violate the right to seek, receive, and impart information and ideas of all kinds, as guaranteed by Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and Article 9 of the African Charter of Human and People’s Rights, to all of which we respectfully remind Your Excellency, the Republic of Angola is a signatory. Enforcement of the Ministry of Social Communication’s position would also constitute a grave violation of these freedoms.
CPJ strongly urges Your Excellency to launch an immediate, thorough and impartial investigation into all reported attacks on the press in Angola, and to instruct all government officials to respect journalists’ right to practice their profession freely and safely, without fear of reprisal.
Sincerely,
Ann K. Cooper
Executive Director
Join CPJ in Protesting Attacks on the Press in Angola
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His Excellency Jose Eduardo dos Santos
President of the Republic of Angola
Gabinete da Presidencia da Republica
Luanda, Angola
VIA FAX: +244-2-339855