UNITA urges Angolan authorities to end persecution of journalists and civic activists – Africa

UNITA, the Angolan opposition, expressed this Friday “concern” about the violations of journalists’ fundamental rights and freedoms by agents of the Angolan State, urging the authorities to put an end to persecution against journalists, political leaders and civic activists.

In a statement regarding Press Freedom Day, which is being celebrated this Friday, the main Angolan opposition party expressed solidarity with the struggle of journalists “for a press truly independent of the established power” and condemned “the continued manipulation, coercion, censorship and partisanship of public media bodies”.

The National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) also called on state authorities “to put an end to persecution against journalists, political leaders and civic activists, censorship, coercion and arbitrary arrests, for exercising their constitutionally enshrined freedoms” .

The MPLA, the party in power in Angola since 1975, also joined the event “hoping for success in the work of building an increasingly free press”.

The Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) requested “special attention” from journalists to environmental issues and urged the journalistic class to “responsibly enjoy freedom of the press, guided by ethics and professional deontology”, using the Angolan Constitution and the law.

“The MPLA recognizes that only with the exercise of free, impartial, plural and responsible journalism is it possible to promote and maintain peace and the inalienable values ​​of the democratic rule of law”, concludes the statement from the Political Bureau of the MPLA Central Committee.

Angola, Brazil and Portugal countered the downward trend of Portuguese-speaking countries in the World Press Freedom Index published this Friday by the non-governmental organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

Angola, which last year ranked lowest among Portuguese-speaking countries on the press freedom map, rose 21 positions to 104th place (125th in 2023).