14 July 2004

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH SPOTLIGHTS FREE EXPRESSION IN ANGOLA


In 2006, Angola plans to hold its first elections in nearly 15 years. The country is enjoying peace after decades of a brutal civil war in which hundreds of thousands were killed. According to a new report by Human Rights Watch, however, freedom of expression will not fully return as long as the government keeps a firm grip on the media.

The report, "Unfinished Democracy: Media and Political Freedoms in Angola," notes that while there are fewer cases of journalists being jailed and harassed since the civil war ended in 2002, this has largely been confined to the capital, Luanda.

The government controls the only daily newspaper and the only non-satellite television station in the country. It also maintains a monopoly on radio broadcasting in most parts of the country. And strict libel laws remain on the statutes, further constraining journalists, says Human Rights Watch.

Read the full report: http://hrw.org/backgrounder/africa/angola/2004/



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Also from the Communiqué, 14 July 2004

BURUNDI: RADIO STATION WORKS FOR RECONCILIATION 14 July 2004 RUSSIA: FORBES EDITOR MURDERED 14 July 2004 SRI LANKA: RSF REPORT DECRIES IMPUNITY 14 July 2004 CHINA: CHINA MOVES TO MONITOR TEXT MESSAGING 14 July 2004 CUBA: WiPC TO LAUNCH LETTER-WRITING CAMPAIGN 14 July 2004 INTERNATIONAL: ALGERIA: THREE JOURNALISTS HANDED JAIL SENTENCES 14 July 2004 INTERNATIONAL: INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS COLLOQUIUM 14 July 2004 INTERNATIONAL: ORBICOM, MOROCCO TO HOST INFORMATION SOCIETY CONFERENCE 14 July 2004 INDIA: Indian Grassroots Movement Fights for Right to Information 14 July 2004 INTERNATIONAL: CIVICUS PROVIDES TOOLS FOR CAPACITY BUILDING 14 July 2004 INTERNATIONAL: INTERNATIONAL ACTIVIST AWARD 14 July 2004

Angola

Police, security agents injure at least 14 demonstrators 7 December 2011 Armed men threaten journalist in Cabinda 1 November 2011 Journalist fined and given one-year suspended prison sentence 13 October 2011 Human Rights Watch calls on authorities to release unfairly convicted demonstrators 14 September 2011 Journalists beaten, equipment seized 9 September 2011 See all alerts: Angola


Southern Africa

TANZANIA: Activists detained over illegal assembly 10 February 2012 MALAWI: New report highlights ongoing press freedom challenges, says MISA 6 February 2012 ZIMBABWE: Foreign newspapers to be banned 6 February 2012 ZIMBABWE: Charges against MMPZ staffers reduced 26 January 2012 NAMIBIA: Newspaper faces defamation charges 25 January 2012


 
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