New York, April 1, 2024\u2013Angola\u2019s proposed national security law could hinder the public\u2019s right to information and severely undermine press freedom, further exposing journalists to harassment, intimidation, and censorship by authorities, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The National Security Bill, which critics say<\/a> threatens<\/a> Angola\u2019s democracy and could turn the country into a dictatorship<\/a>, is currently under review by a specialist committee after passing a first vote in the country\u2019s National Assembly on January 25. No date has been announced for the finalization of the review and resubmission of the bill for a final parliamentary vote before being sent for presidential signature. The proposed law would also give police the autonomy to surveil \u201cpremises, buildings and establishments\u201d and \u201cmeans of transport\u201d as well as temporarily close public premises or prohibit the movement of people \u201cwhose activity is likely to disturb public order\u201d for unspecified amounts of time. It does not make specific provisions for judicial oversight of these \u201cpreventative\u201d national security measures, outline procedures for security personnel to seek warrants for surveillance activities, or define the activities that would be deemed disruptive to public order. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Teixeira C\u00e2ndido, secretary general of the Union of Angolan Journalists, told CPJ via messaging app that provisions giving security organs the power to disrupt telecommunications and shut down the internet \u201cfor no apparent reason\u201d could make journalistic work \u201cimpossible.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n David Boio, owner of online news website Camunda News, which <\/a>suspended operations indefinitely<\/a> in 2023 due to police harassment, said that the proposed law would provide authorities the missing \u201clegal frame\u201d needed to \u201cjustify their actions against critics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe bill is as invasive as possible with authorities allowed to legally put journalists and anyone under surveillance, bug their home, their car without the intervention of a judge, everything at the discretion and mercy of the repressive apparatus itself,\u201d Boio told CPJ via messaging app. Reached by telephone, National Assembly Secretary-General Pedro Neri declined to comment on the proposed security legislation and referred CPJ to Ant\u00f3nio Paulo, president of the first parliamentary specialist committee that is reviewing the bill. Paulo declined to comment on either the national security or NGO bills, saying that he wanted to \u201cavoid influencing the [review] process\u201d but that he welcomed civil society contributions during the process. Ad\u00e3o de Almeida, Minister of the State and Civil House of the President, didn\u2019t reply to CPJ phone calls or messages.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n
\u201cIf passed into law, Angola\u2019s National Security Bill will expose journalists to further harassment and intimidation by authorities and legalize telecommunications shutdowns at the whim of security agencies,\u201d said Muthoki Mumo, CPJ Africa program coordinator, from Nairobi. \u201cThe provisions citing constitutional limits to the exercise of power cannot disguise this law\u2019s repressive intent. Parliamentarians should reject or revise any bill that doesn\u2019t comply with international human rights standards.\u201d
According to a copy of the bill reviewed by CPJ, the proposed law will create a national security system headed by the president\u2014and including the police, intelligence services, and the military\u2014with the power to \u201c[prohibit] broadcasting from public or private radio systems\u201d or disrupt telecommunication services, under undefined \u201cexceptional circumstances\u201d and \u201cwithin the limits of the constitution.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Florindo Chivucute, president of the human rights group Friends of Angola, told CPJ that the proposed national security law fits within a pattern<\/a> of repressive legislation, including a Non-Governmental<\/a> Organizations<\/a> (NGO) bill under consideration by the National Assembly. Andr\u00e9 Mussamo, president of the Angola chapter of the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) told CPJ MISA Angola and other media freedom NGOs could face \u201cextinction\u201d by government directive if the proposed NGO<\/a> law<\/a> was approved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\r\nThis content originally appeared on Committee to Protect Journalists<\/a> and was authored by Arlene Getz\/CPJ Editorial Director.
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