Blogger, activists released from prison; protests dispersed and protesters detained

Association

One blogger, four activists released from prison after presidential pardon

On 1st and 6th January 2025, blogger Neth Nahara, and four activists - Adolfo Campos, Gildo das Ruas, Tanaice Neutro and Pensador – were released from prison after receiving a presidential pardon. All five had spent more than a year in prison, and most had been deliberately denied health care while in detention.

Blogger Ana da Silva Miguel, also known as Neth Nahara, was arrested at her home in Luanda on 13th August 2023 after having broadcast a TikTok video criticising President Lourenço. A day later, on 14th August 2023, she was sentenced to six months in prison after she was found guilty of the crime of ‘outrage against the state, its symbols, and bodies’. Following an appeal by the public prosecutor, her prison sentence increased to two years on 27th September 2023.

The four other activists – Adolfo Campos, Hermenegildo Victor José, also known as Gildo das Ruas, Gilson Moreira, also known as Tanaice Neutro, and Abraão Pedro Santos, known as Pensador – were arrested in Luanda on 16th September 2023, ahead of a planned protest in solidarity with motorcycle taxi drivers. In September 2023, the Provincial Court of Luanda convicted the four activists for the crimes of outrage and insulting the President and sentenced them to two years and five months in prison.

Peaceful Assembly

Police prevent protest against gender-based violence, detain protest organisers

On 29th March 2025, a protest against gender-based violence, organised by the social movement Unidas Somos Mais Fortes (United We are Much Stronger), was prevented from taking place in Luanda. Police, armed with batons and firearms, occupied, from early morning, the site of the protest - Largo das Heroínas – and surrounding streets. Organisers told Deutsche Welle they had notified local authorities of the protest, as required, but they had to cancel the protest due to police repression. Police reportedly demanded protesters take off their t-shirts and remove posters, and detained some of the protest organisers.

Dozens of people detained in student protests

On 26th April 2025, a protest organised in Luanda by the Movimento dos Estudantes Angolanos (MEA; Movement of Angolan Students) against the lack of desks, teaching materials and teachers in schools, among other conditions, was dispersed by police, who reportedly used tear gas and grenades and detained protesters, preventing the protest from taking place. The MEA said they had informed the authorities of the protest weeks in advance.

Dozens of people were detained during the protest, including three journalists (see under Expression). 17 students, including some MEA leaders, had reportedly been arrested before the start of the protest, others while attempting to join the protest. According to MEA, police physically attacked some protesters and forced students into police vehicles. Most students were released the same day. Eight of those arrested, including MEA leaders, were released by the Luanda District Court on 28th April 2025, due to “lack of evidence”.

Protests against hunger, poverty and unemployment

On 23rd November 2025, thousands of people marched in Luanda against hunger, poverty and unemployment, among other social ills, and for democracy. Although the march was organised by political opposition coalition Frente Patriótica Unida (FPU; United Patriotic Front), it was meant to be non-partisan.

Another protest against hunger, poverty and unemployment on 15th February 2025 in Luanda, organised by civil society group Unidade Nacional para Total Revolução em Angola (UNTRA; National Unit for Total Revolution in Angola) , was dispersed by security forces, who used tear gas against dozens of protesters attempting to gather at São Paulo Market Square, preventing the march from proceeding. 12 people were reportedly detained.

Protest by 2024 Census agents to demand payment of salaries dispersed

On 12th March 2025, police reportedly violently dispersed a protest by agents of the 2024 Census in front of the headquarters of the National Statistics Institute (INE) in Luanda. Dozens of protesters had gathered to demand the payment of their salaries, months overdue. Police reportedly assaulted protesters, leading to injuries.

Report on use of force during protests, impunity for protest violations

In the report “Broken Promises: Protesters caught between tear gas, bullets and batons in Angola” published on 27th November 2025, Amnesty International analyses the authorities’ use of force in 11 protests in Luanda, Benguala, Canfunfo, Kwanza-Norte and Huambo between November 2020 and June 2023. Tactics used during those protests include the use of firearms, grenades, tear gas and beatings with batons, resulting in deaths, serious injuries and psychological trauma of protesters and bystanders. Additionally, protesters were detained and arrested, while authorities abuse existing laws to curtail the organisation of protests. Impunity for the violations perpetrated during these protests prevailed as none of those responsible for the violations was brought to justice.

Expression

Detention of journalists covering protests

On 26th April 2025, police briefly detained three journalists while they were covering the student protests in Luanda. Some journalists were held for five hours, and told media they were threatened while in detention and forced to hand over their phones. Jubileu Panda of TV Maiombe said he tried to identify himself, but police officers did not let him speak, insulted him and forced him to sit on the ground. Hermenegildo Caculo of Jornal Folha 8 and TV 8 was arrested while interviewing protesters. Borralho Ndomban, correspondent for Deutsche Welle, was held for 30 minutes and forced to hand over his mobile phone and his microphones.

On 16th February 2025, correspondent of Deutsche Welle António Domingos was reportedly detained while covering a protest in Ndalatando, Cuanza Norte. The protest was organised to denounce the killing of 17 elderly women on their farmland. Other people at the protests were also reportedly arrested, including two UNITA deputies.

Proposed draft law on online dissemination of false news

In April 2025, the government proposed a draft law criminalising the dissemination of false news on social media and the internet, with prison sentences ranging from one to ten years. A prison sentence of four to ten years in prison is foreseen for false information that compromises national security or the integrity of electoral processes. Human rights groups and legal experts have criticised the draft law for its vague wording and its potential use as a tool of repression and censorship.