Investigative journalist under threat again in Angola
The Angolan government has brought criminal charges against journalist Rafael Marques de Morais for his book, Blood Diamonds: Corruption and Torture in Angola, published in Portugal in 2011, that documented allegations of homicides, torture, forced displacement of civilian settlements, and intimidation of inhabitants of the diamond-mining areas of the country’s Lundas region.
Angola: Outspoken journalist will be tried
Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) strongly condemns the prosecution of free-lance journalist Rafael Marques, whose trial date has been set for March 9. We believe that the charges of criminal defamation pressed against Marques, and his continued harassment by the Angolan government, reflect Your Excellency’s deep-seated disregard for freedom of expression, an internationally-recognized human right. Based on this record, we have little confidence that Marques will receive a fair trial. We intend to monitor developments closely.
Angola: Journalist moved from jail to house arrest
New York, November 29, 1999 –Rafael Marques, a freelance journalist and Angola representative of the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa, was released on bail on November 25, after spending 40 days in prison. His trial is scheduled to begin on December 15. Marques had been in police custody since October 16. Angolan police informally…
Jail for journalist who called Angolan president a “dictator”
Your Excellency: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply concerned by the arrest and continued detention of Rafael Marques, a freelance journalist who also represents the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa in Angola.
Angolan editor Mariano Brás questioned, investigated over article critical of president
Lisbon, March 4, 2020 – Angolan authorities should stop harassing editor Mariano Brás, drop any charges against him, and allow the press to cover the country’s president without fear of legal harassment, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On February 12, officers with the organized crime division of Angola’s Criminal Investigation Service questioned Brás,…
CPJ urges Angola’s president to champion press freedom
CPJ urges Angola’s President Joao Lourenco to champion the protection of journalists and news outlets, repeal criminal defamation and insult laws, and for the State to drop criminal charges against journalists who were targeted in retaliation for their work.
Angolan police assault, detain journalists
New York, September 20, 2013–At least three journalists were assaulted by police and briefly detained today while covering the release of seven individuals who were arrested during a protest on Thursday, according to the journalists and news accounts. Protesters had staged a demonstration against what they called the authoritarian regime of President José Eduardo dos…
Portuguese media chilled by Angolan involvement
Portuguese journalists are increasingly concerned by Angola’s growing investment and influence in their country. Buoyed by petrodollars and diamonds, powerful Angolan interests have been indulging in a buying spree in their former colonial power. Angolan capital invested in Portugal increased 35 times in the past decade, according to news reports. In a process often acidly…
Attacks on the Press in 2011: Regulating the Internet
Legislation for Internet security can quickly turn into a weapon against the free press. Cybercrime laws are intended to extend existing penal codes to the online world, but they can easily be broadened to criminalize standard journalistic practices. By Danny O’Brien
Attacks on the Press 2010: Angola
Top Developments • Legislation criminalizes coverage that insults president, state institutions. • Three top papers purchased by mysterious corporation. Coverage grows timid. Key Statistic 2: Journalists killed in 2010, one a Togolese sports reporter, killed in soccer team ambush. President José Eduardo dos Santos led one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, but he faced criticism…