Angolan police used excessive force and carried out arbitrary arrests during a peaceful protest in Luanda on July 12, Human Rights Watch charges. According to reports, officers fired tear-gas and rubber bullets without justification, assaulted demonstrators, and detained 17 protesters, some of whom were released only after legal intervention.

The demonstration, organized by youth groups and civil society organizations, was a response to the Angolan government's decision to raise fuel prices and eliminate public transport subsidies without public consultation. Hundreds of people marched from Luanda's São Paulo neighborhood toward the central plaza of Largo 1º de Maio before being violently dispersed by security forces.

"Angolans should be able to peacefully protest government policies without being met with excessive force and other violations of their basic rights," said Ashwanee Budoo-Scholtz, deputy Africa director at Human Rights Watch, in the July 19 statement. "The government needs to open an impartial investigation into these abuses and hold those responsible accountable."

Despite receiving official authorization for the protest route, demonstrators were attacked upon nearing their destination. "Without any prior warning, the crackdown began brutally," said activist and protest spokesperson Aidilson Manuel. He confirmed that four people suffered serious injuries, including one individual who "was hit directly in the face by a tear-gas canister, causing a deep cut that required surgery."

The Angolan Police General Command defended the operation, stating it was meant "to maintain public order and tranquility, since the protesters did not follow the route." However, Manuel stated that the correct legal procedures had been followed and official approval for the demonstration had been granted the day before.

These concerns echo long-standing warnings from Amnesty International, which in a November 2024 report, urged Angolan authorities to hold police accountable for killing or injuring demonstrators between November 2020 and June 2023. According to Amnesty, at least 17 people were killed across 11 protests during that period, and no officers have been prosecuted to date.

In the November 2024 report, Amnesty accused Angolan police of using live bullets, batons, and tear-gas against peaceful demonstrators and has criticized repeated delays in justice. Amnesty called on the attorney general’s office and the ombudsman to investigate police violence, stating that Angola must uphold its human rights obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR).

From JURIST, July 20. Used with permission.

Fluctuations in the price of oil and grain since the start of the Ukraine war in 2022 have contributed to popular privation and unrest worldwide.