Ahead of President Biden’s December trip to Angola, Amnesty wrote to both President Biden and President Lourenço with human rights concerns we hoped they would raise in their bi-lateral meeting. The letters were delivered to the White House and State House ahead of the visit in mid-October. With the visit expected to focus primarily on economic engagement, it is important to make sure human rights issues are not overlooked.
October 4, 2024
Dear President Biden,
We are delighted by your planned visit to Angola, especially because this is your first visit to Africa since you became president, but also because this is the first official visit of a U.S. president to Angola since its independence. We are sure your schedule will be packed, but at the same time hope that in the meeting with President João Lourenço, human rights issues will not be left out.
As you may already know, Angola is a country extremely rich in natural resources, however, this wealth does not benefit the people who are gradually being pushed into the cycle of poverty. Often, instead of receiving specific answers from the government, those who speak out end up paying a high price for voicing their concerns both offline and online. Among the main concerns, we urge you to address the following points in your meeting with President João Lourenço:
Restrictions on the exercise of the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association
Since 2020, we have documented cases in which the Angolan National Police (PN) in several provinces resort to excessive and lethal force to disrupt peaceful demonstrations. Our research contains shocking cases of shootings, torture, arrests and killings, including of children, in the context of peaceful assemblies. This is compounded by the impunity that we believe is fueling the growing repression. There is no accountability, and the families of the victims continue to be denied access to justice and effective remedies.
Crackdown on protests has been one of the main trends of President João Lourenco’s government. Since he became president in 2017, there has been an escalating crackdown on human rights including adoption of repressive laws in the country. Criticizing the president of Angola has become a crime since 2020 (article 333, Angolan Penal Code). In 2023, despite civil society criticism, a controversial NGO bill was approved, giving excessive powers and government control over CSOs; This year, the National Security law, and the law on Crimes of Vandalism and Public Goods and services were approved, further threatening the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly, association and media freedom.
From January-September, Amnesty International has documented the brutal crackdown on the three planned protests by civil society groups, duly communicated to the police, one month in advance, yet organizers were arrested and detained for more than 10 hours and later released without any charges.
Human rights defenders and activists have been targeted and continue to face persecution. Authorities continue to weaponize the criminal judicial system to silence dissenting voices. Currently, four activists and one TikToker are arbitrarily detained. On 16 September 2023, activists Adolfo Campos, Hermenegildo José Victor AKA Gildo das Ruas, Abraão Pedro dos Santos AKA Pensador, and Gilson Moreira AKA Tanaice Neutro were arrested for joining a solidarity demonstration. Three days later, they were summarily tried and sentenced to two years and five months in prison, for the crime of disobedience and resisting orders, although no evidence was presented in court.
On 13 August 2023, Ana da Silva Miguel AKA Neth Nahara, was arrested after recording a LIVE video on Tiktok criticizing João Lourenço’s government. The following day, 14 August, she was summarily tried and sentenced, initially to six months, but her sentence was later extended to two years in a clear attack on the right to freedom of expression. Despite her publicly known state of health, authorities refused her access to HIV treatment for eight months.
Amnesty International therefore urges you to call on President João Lourenço and his government to:
1. Immediately and unconditionally release activists Adolfo Campos, Gildo das Ruas, Pensador, Tanaice Neutro and Neth Nahara, who are detained solely for peacefully exercising their human rights.
2. End the crackdown on protesters and the excessive use of force by security forces when policing assemblies.
3. Acknowledge and take steps to address Angolan Civil Society concerns on the rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association, including regarding national legislation and emergency measures, procedural and administrative barriers and practices that deploy security forces.
4. Uphold the human rights of everyone in the country and commit to bring to justice in fair trials those suspected to be responsible for human rights violations; and ensure access to justice and effective remedies for the survivors and relatives of victims of human rights violations including unlawful killings, arbitrary arrests and torture during protests.
5. Meet with Angolan Civil Society Organizations and activists during your visit.
Drought in southern Angola and displacement to Namibia
Angola is greatly affected by natural disasters and slow onset events, and the climate crisis is a serious threat multiplier to many. The country is facing its worst drought in over 43 years. People living on the border with Namibia, namely in the Cunene and Huíla provinces, have been hit very hard by the impacts of the persistent drought, which has impacted their access to food. The prolonged drought has made the lives of the traditional pastoralist communities much harder, and many are unable to cope with the resulting hunger. The region is neglected and lacks infrastructure for water supply, leaving communities even more vulnerable to droughts.
Since the beginning of March 2021, families began to cross the border into Namibia, in a desperate measure in search of food, water and essential services, such as health care.
This movement has been precarious, as Namibian authorities are also grappling with the same drought and limited resources. As a result, Angolan migrants, including unaccompanied children, have faced several forced returns, coordinated by both governments since 2021/2022, under conditions that may not align with international standards. The facilities provided upon return to Angola have lacked proper services, with reports of deaths emerging from these dire conditions. This situation has compelled many to undertake increasingly irregular travel routes back to Namibia, and there have been alarming discoveries of trafficking and labor exploitation among vulnerable populations, including children.
Unfortunately, hunger is not only the result of drought. The occupation of more fertile land by commercial farmers has undermined the economic and social resilience of pastoralist communities, particularly their ability to survive the drought. As a result, thousands have crossed the border into Namibia, in search of food, water and essential services, such as healthcare, since 2021. To this date, affected communities have not yet been engaged in any reparation process nor received communal title deeds for occupation, possession and rights of use, as decreed in article 37 of the Angolan Land Law 9/04 and in article 18 of Decree 58/07.
We urge you to:
1. Emphasize the importance of protecting rural vulnerable communities and ensuring that their rights are placed above any business interests that results in the loss of their land and means of subsistence.
2. Call on President João Lourenço to commit to ensure the affected communities are receiving necessary assistance from the government to mitigate the impacts of the drought.
3. Support the government of Angola with adequate funding to protect human rights including the rights to life, adequate food, adequate housing, water, sanitation, adequate standard of living, and clean, healthy and sustainable environment, in line with obligations to provide international assistance and cooperation.
4. Provide adequate funding and technical support for human rights-consistent disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation and mitigation measures aimed at protecting people from the impacts of the climate crisis, particularly for those who are at particular risk.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Kate Hixon
Advocacy Director for sub-Saharan Africa, Amnesty International USA
October 10, 2024
Your Excellency,
Re: President Biden’s Visit to Angola
We welcome President Biden recognizing the importance of the bilateral relationship with Angola and the importance of the African continent more broadly. The relationship between Angola and the U.S. is multifaceted, and the opportunities to grow the economic and political relationship are great. An important aspect of strong friendships is being honest with each other. To that end, we hope you will use your meeting with President Biden to raise human rights concerns that Amnesty International is following in the United States.
Protect Angolan Asylum Seekers in the United States
There has been a significant increase in the number of Angolans traveling through the Americas, including through the notorious Darien Gap, to seek asylum at the U.S. Southern Border. However, the Biden Administration has implemented policies at the border that severely restrict the ability for Angolans to exercise their human right to seek safety. Under both the Circumvention of Lawful Pathways Final Rule and the Securing the Border Interim Final Rule individuals who are seeking asylum must register and secure an appointment using the CBP One mobile application, or otherwise face detention, removal or a presumption of asylum ineligibility if permitted to enter the United States. Yet, the CBP One mobile application is not available in the Portuguese language, making it extraordinarily difficult for Angolans to comply with these policies that violate international human rights and refugee law. The impact of this is extreme for Angolans, who often cross into the United States irregularly because they are not able to enter via the CBP One App or by presenting at a Port of Entry. Crossing irregularly is extraordinarily dangerous, exemplified by the death of a newborn Angolan baby who died after an emergency C-section earlier this year, just over 12 hours after being apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol.
For Angolans who are ultimately permitted to enter the United States, they face new obstacles to seek housing, work, and stability. Due to a lack of federal support or infrastructure for receiving and integrating new arrivals, Angolans and other Black migrants in cities like New York and Portland have faced evictions, homelessness, food insecurity, and inequitable treatment based on their race. We ask that you urge President Biden to immediately restore access to asylum at the southern border, terminate both the Circumvention of Lawful Pathways Rule and Securing the Border Interim Final Rule, fully investigate the death of the newborn Angolan who died while in U.S. custody, and significantly increase resources to receiving communities to invest in short- and medium-term services for new arrivals.
Immediately Suspend Weapons to the Israeli Government
The Biden administration has continued to transfer weapons to the Israeli government despite mounting evidence that U.S.-made munitions are being used in unlawful attacks that have killed Palestinian civilians in the occupied Gaza Strip and should be investigated as war crimes. The ongoing attacks on civilians by Israeli forces forms part of a longstanding pattern of reckless and indiscriminate airstrikes in Gaza during the 2008-9, 2014, and 2021 conflicts. As of September 25, 2024, more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and more than 90,000 injured since October 7, 2023. As the Israeli military offensive continues, Palestinian civilians in Gaza face a famine engineered by the Israeli government and remain at risk of genocide. We ask that you demand that the Biden administration immediately suspend the sale and transfer of all weapons to the Israeli government and fulfill its obligations under international and U.S. law.
Abolish the death penalty
President Biden campaigned on a promise to work towards abolition of the death penalty – becoming the first candidate to be elected to the office on an abolitionist pledge. In July 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice followed that pledge by placing a conditional moratorium on federal executions amid a review of department policies related to capital punishment. However, during his administration, the federal government continued to pursue death sentences in certain cases and failed to implement any real structural changes to make his campaign pledge a reality.
Amnesty International opposes the death penalty in all cases. The reason is simple. We believe that the death penalty is not only the ultimate cruel, inhuman and degrading punishment, it is also a violation of the right to life as recognized in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The death penalty is too flawed to fix. Angola abolished the death penalty in 1992 and explicitly prohibited it in the 2010 constitution. We call on you to ask President Biden to use all of the tools at his disposal during his remaining time in office to end the use of the federal death penalty as the current moratorium does not go far enough. Such actions can include dismantling the federal death chamber, using his power to grant clemency to those on federal death row, and having the U.S. either abstain or vote in support of a UN resolution on the moratorium of the death penalty.
Once again, Amnesty welcomes President Biden recognizing the importance of the U.S.-Angola relationship with this high diplomatic honor. We hope you will have honest conversations with him about the challenges the U.S. is facing in respecting its own human rights obligations.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Tigere Chagutah, Regional Director Amnesty International East and Southern Africa Regional Office