Category: Justice

In Angola, judges are breaking the law to keep critics of President João Lourenço behind bars. The case of social activist Osvaldo Caholo is not an isolated judicial failure. When examined alongside the detention of Serrote José de Oliveira, widely known as “General Nila,” it reveals a consistent pattern of judicial non-compliance with the law in politically sensitive cases in Angola. On 12 January 2026, the Guarantees Judge of the 5th Section of the Criminal Division of the Luanda District Court, Maria Nazaré Dias, ordered activist Osvaldo Caholo to stand immediate trial on charges of Rebellion, Public Incitement to Crime, and Public Apology of Crime. At the same time, she unlawfully refused the adversarial investigation (instrução contraditória) requested by the defense counsels Bruno Xingui and Simão Afonso, despite clear provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code requiring adversarial judicial scrutiny when legal or factual objections are raised. Caholo had already been […]

“General Nila” has now been detained for six months. He was shot by officers of the Criminal Investigation Service while walking to a hospital with his siblings before being taken into custody, as documented by Maka Angola. On 14 October 2025, the Office of the Presiding Judge of the Luanda District Court denied a habeas corpus application submitted by defense counsel Hermenegildo Teotónio for street bookseller Serrote José de Oliveira “General Nila”. The ruling held that he was charged exclusively with the offence of Disruption of the Provision of Public Services, under Article 4 of the Law on Crimes of Vandalism, and with no other offence. “General Nila” has now been detained for six months. He was shot by and officer of the Criminal Investigation Service while walking to a hospital with his siblings, before being taken into custody, as documented by Maka Angola. On 4 December 2025, however, the […]

Under the banner of fighting “fake news”, Angola’s new bill would expand state control over the internet — putting platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp under pressure and turning independent websites into targets. Civil liberties remain mostly on paper. Angola’s proposed law against “false information on the internet” is a deeply flawed piece of legislation. It is presented as a response to disinformation, yet it reads more like a blueprint for state control of digital speech. In a country where civil liberties are legally established on paper but routinely constrained in practice, this bill accelerates an already dangerous trend: eroding legally established civil liberties through expansive enforcement powers, vague standards and punitive sanctions.  The government claims existing legal tools are insufficient. But if gaps existed, they could be addressed by amending current offences to cover online conduct, preserving proportionality and legal certainty. Instead, the executive proposes a sweeping new regime that […]

By treating frustration as rebellion and hyperbole as threat, Angola risks turning political discourse into criminal liability — and justice into theatre. Social activist Osvaldo Caholo has been imprisoned for almost six months for comments he made during a live social media broadcast at an anti-government protest in Luanda on 12 July 2025. Under Criminal Case No. 3807/25, the Angolan Public Prosecutor has charged him with rebellion, public instigation to crime and public apology of crime — accusations that rest entirely on spoken words, not actions, organisation or demonstrable criminal capacity. The indictment cites statements allegedly made by the defendant on social media in a context of evident emotional agitation and broader social unrest. However, expressing indignation, even in harsh terms, does not constitute acts that could be considered crimes against state security. Regarding the crime of rebellion, as defined in Article 329 of the Angolan Penal Code, the prosecution […]