Responding to news that the leader of the National Union for Total Revolution of Angola (UNTRA) Serrote José de Oliveria – whose health has been deteriorating since being held in arbitrary detention since July 28 – has begun a hunger strike to protest his unlawful detention, Amnesty International’s Deputy-Director for East and Southern Africa Regional Office, Flavia Mwangovya, said:
“Reports that Serrote José de Oliveria has gone on hunger strike and that his health is deteriorating is extremely concerning. Angolan authorities must allow him immediate access to all necessary medical care, and unless he is charged with a recognizable criminal offence, they must immediately release him.
“His continued arbitrary detention is an ongoing injustice that points to the Angolan authorities’ growing intolerance towards those with dissenting voices.”
Background
On July 28, officers believed to be linked to the Angolan Criminal Investigation Services, arrested Serrote José de Oliveira while he was filming a live video with fellow activists during the first day of a protest against rising fuel prices in Luanda, Angola’s capital. Serrote José de Oliveira was shot in the left leg during the incident. He has been held in arbitrary detention at Calomboloca Prison ever since.
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