People’s freedom is being violated at Angola elections; police intimdate, beat, and arrest

Angolan police today prevented a demonstration that was to begin at the Santa Ana cemetery and arrested three people after the Lusa press agency interviewed them at the site on the outskirts of Luanda.

This week calls circulated on social media for a demonstration against electoral fraud at the Santa Ana cemetery.

Still, it did not take place, as several people were arrested, as Lusa noted at the site, which was almost deserted around 1 pm, except for police vehicles and personnel.

Pacheco Manuel, 32, visited the cemetery after learning about the initiative through social networks, “Since I could not remain indifferent to what was happening in the country, I decided to take a walk to see how things were, and what I saw I did not like. People’s freedom is being violated,” he said.

“I don’t know what is happening to the leaders of our country because a citizen who is in a public place is immediately arrested. We are here to show our dissatisfaction with our country and with the governance of the MPLA,” he criticized.

The MPLA (Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola) is the country’s leftist and socialist workers’ party.

The citizen stressed that “no one was causing trouble, no one was causing aggression, no one was destroying public property” and that people were there “peacefully.”

“The country is at peace; there is no reason for the security forces to intimidate, beat or arrest people,” he stressed, appealing to the police.

“If people want to demonstrate, let them demonstrate; no one is stealing anything from anyone; we are here to show our dissatisfaction with the country’s government.”

“I know many are angry, but they don’t stop to give an interview or speak out because they’re afraid of being arrested for nothing. He did nothing wrong and will go to jail,” he said.

As for João Lourenço, who takes office Thursday after a disputed election whose results were not recognized by the opposition, he said he could not congratulate him. The reason: “Because he is not my president.”

“People are unhappy; you have to look at the faces of the people; there is sadness in the faces of the people; there is no joy. Do you see joy?” asked Pacheco Manuel, saying that the next five years “will be suffering; it’s always the same.”

“It’s just a matter of asking God to give us the breath of life every day, to sleep and wake up. The rest of these rulers can only be expected in reincarnation,” he said.

Benvinda Bango, who was initially anxious because she had witnessed the arrest of others, also eventually showed her dissatisfaction.

“I think the whole world sees what happened here in Angola, and it is a real fraud. Unfortunately, the MPLA has been a dreadful government since 1992. Still, the youth have woken up. UNITA and ACJ [Adalberto da Costa Júnior, leader of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola] have come to demonstrate how the MPLA acted in the electoral appeals,” he said.

Benvinda said she “cries for the country” because she is a mother and sees no future in Angola.

“It’s unfortunate to see a president who has no compassion for the pain of his people. How can a president fight his people?”

How would he put armored cars on the road if he really won? It makes no sense and only shows that he knows he did not win, that he knows he committed fraud,” he said, calling on the National Electoral Commission to present the protocols that prove the victory of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola.

He questioned the reason for the arrests, saying, “I arrived here at 12.30 pm looking for the people because no one knows each other here, and when I went down, I saw a group of young people already in the police car.”

“I stopped to look around, but a policeman intimidated me and asked me what I was doing there. I don’t feel like dealing with people like that, so I didn’t say a word to him and came here,” he tells Lusa.

“I think they did absolutely nothing. Here in Angola, you don’t have to do anything; the Lourencista government has to decide that they [the police] do it. I honestly feel sorry for these policemen; they are also fathers, children, family members,” he added.

Guilherme Luciano also went to the cemetery to participate in the demonstration.

“Many people are dissatisfied with President Joao Lourenço,” he criticized. “He is not a president of Angola; he is a president of the MPLA,” said the young man, who had traveled from Huila to denounce “electoral theft and fraud” and “give strength to the activists.”

“Since our arrival, I have seen young people arrested for reasons you don’t even know, just for coming,” he denounced, regretting that the demonstration did not take place, although it had no violent intentions.

After these statements, the police approached where Lusa was, ordered the cameraman to stop filming, and arrested the three people questioned.

Several people were also arrested as they passed near the cemetery on one of the main access roads to Luanda.

Unaware of the situation, they tried to flee across the road, being chased by police and risking being run over.

Lusa also received reports of the arrest of activists in their homes, namely Zola Alvaro of the Mudei Civic Movement and Alexandre Simão Bolívar of the Contestant Civil Society.

Although the police have been questioned about the reason for these arrests, they have yet to explain.