On August 13, Angolan TikToker, Ana da Silva Miguel (also known as Neth Nahara) was arrested in Luanda, capital city of Angola. On August 14, she was convicted to 6 months in prison for the crime of ‘outrage against the state, its symbols, and bodies’ for recording a live video on TikTok criticizing the president. Following an appeal by the public prosecutor on September 27, her 6 months sentence was increased to 2 years in prison. Since her arrest, Neth Nahara has been denied access to her daily medication, despite her complicated health condition. On December 3, she was hospitalized due to her deteriorating health. Her conviction and sentence stem from the peaceful exercise of her right to freedom of expression. Neth Nahara must be immediately released.
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- Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
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contact information:
Minister of Justice and Human Rights
Marcy Cláudio Lopes
Casarão da Justiça, Rua 17 de Setembro
Gombota, Luanda, LU, Angola
E-mail: [email protected]
Embassy of Angola in the United States
Ambassador Augustine Van-Dúnem
2100 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20009
Email: [email protected]
sample letter:
Dear Minister,
I am writing to you to express concern about the arbitrary detention and conviction of Ana da Silva Miguel (AKA Neth Nahara), solely for peacefully exercising her human rights.
On August 13, Neth Nahara – an avid TikTok user – was arrested by the Criminal Investigation Services at 04 de Fevereiro International Airport, while preparing for a trip to Dubai. On August 14, she was summarily tried and sentenced to 6 months in prison for ‘outrage against the state, its symbols, and bodies’ and a fine of 1 million Kwanza (approximately 1,200 USD) for having made a live stream on August 12 on her TikTok account criticizing the president. On September 27, the second stage court decided to uphold the prosecution’s appeal, extending the sentence from 6 months to 2 years in prison, in a clear attack on the freedom of expression, violating article 40 of the Angolan Constitution, article 9 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights to which Angola is a state party. Since her arrest in August, Neth Nahara has not been receiving her daily medication for the HIV virus. This led to an emergency hospitalization on December 3.
I urge you to ensure that Neth Nahara is immediately released, since her conviction and ongoing arbitrary detention stem from the peaceful exercise of her human rights. Pending her release, the authorities must also ensure she has immediate access to all necessary and adequate healthcare.
Yours sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
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