January 1, 2004
While Angola's transition to peace after almost thirty years of civil war has been characterized by substantial improvements in much of the country, serious human rights abuses continue. Among the most pressing issues in Angola are the return and resettlement of those displaced by the war; violations of freedom of expression and association; lack of due process for criminal suspects and poor prison conditions; forced evictions; inadequate responses to HIV/AIDS and AIDS-related discrimination; and high levels of corruption.
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- Return and Resettlement
- Freedom of Expression and Association
- Government Transparency
- Lack of Due Process for Criminal Suspects and Poor Prison Conditions
- Arbitrary Forced Evictions
- Inadequate Responses to HIV/AIDS
Return and Resettlement
While the vast majority of the millions displaced by the war had by the end of 2003 already returned to their homelands or settled down in other locations—often without any formal assistance—they still faced severe difficulties. Hundreds have died or been maimed by the thousands of landmines scattered throughout the country. Hundreds of thousands Angolans located in areas of difficult access urgently await food assistance. Among those, vulnerable groups such as women and children are often burdened with more difficulties. In some cases, Angolan government authorities forced people to return to their home areas or leave resettlement camps, in violation of international standards that have been incorporated into Angolan law.
Freedom of Expression and Association
Despite the end of the war, the government has continued to harass journalists, human rights groups and other non-governmental organizations. Journalists criticizing the government face a series of abuses, including physical abuse, threats, lawsuits and defamation campaigns, as well as limited access to official information, including data on public expenditure and other public policies. The state-owned media, including a daily newspaper, as well as national radio and television stations, routinely exclude critical voices from their publications. Government authorities often confiscate independent publications; and the state-owned airline will not carry private media publications into the provinces. Angolan police continue to break up demonstrations violently. Excessive administrative and bureaucratic burdens, such as the imposition and arbitrary enforcement of onerous registration requirements, undermine the work of civil society associations, including journalists' and university professors' unions.
Government Transparency
Angola has substantial natural resources (oil and diamonds, in particular), the exploitation of which could promote significant development and advanced respect of economic, social and cultural rights. Yet there has been virtually no oversight of government contracts with multinational petroleum corporations and corruption levels are high. Transparency campaigns directed at multinationals ("publish what you pay") and state officials have become a leading issue for civil society in Angola. This lack of transparency is related to other abuses, such as attacks on journalists that have investigated corruption.
The sums involved are staggering. From 1997 to 2002, unaccounted for funds amounted to some U.S.$4.22 billion. In those same years, total social spending in the country—including Angolan government spending as well as public and private initiatives funded through the United Nations' Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal—came to $4.27 billion. In effect, the Angolan government has not accounted for an amount roughly equal to the total amount spent on the humanitarian, social, health, and education needs of a population in severe distress.
Lack of Due Process for Criminal Suspects and Poor Prison Conditions
Arbitrary arrest and imprisonment without due process are among the most common abuses in Angola. Although Angolan law limits the amount of time one may be detained without charge, it is common to find detainees whose incarceration exceeds these limits without charges or inmates who have already served their full sentences yet remain in jail. The inefficiency and arbitrary nature of the judicial system has led to a routine denial of minimal due process. In addition, Luanda prisons suffer from overcrowding, abysmal infrastructure, substandard food, sanitation and medical assistance, corruption, maltreatment and torture. There are no proper rehabilitation or educational programs in Angola detention centers. Visits by family, friends and others, including rights defenders are limited and arbitrary. Prisoners sometimes are held incommunicado or moved from one prison to another without notification.
Arbitrary Forced Evictions
For a number of years, the government of Angola has carried out forced evictions in the capital, Luanda, on a massive scale. These evictions have been carried out in violation of international standards of due process and without the justification of any apparent wider public benefit. In Benfica and Boa Vista, two of Luanda's neighborhoods, Police and other officials have evicted long-term residents, leaving them without shelter, seizing or destroying their belongings. In same cases, police violence during evictions has resulted in death, injury or miscarriage.
Inadequate Responses to HIV/AIDS
The official estimate of a roughly 5.5 percent HIV prevalence rate in the adult population is based on limited data and may understate the problem. Angola's protracted civil war meant higher HIV risk for some persons, impeded national services to estimate the magnitude of the epidemic, and destroyed the health services needed to respond to AIDS. Despite the government's development of a national strategic plan, its actions have been minimal. While a number of NGOs and AIDS service organizations have been working in the country their capacity and resources are quite limited. Persons with HIV or AIDS are routinely discriminated against in access to health care services.