Amnesty Delivers Petition to Angola Embassy on Behalf of Journalist Marques
March 13, 16
(IDEX Online News) – Amnesty International Portugal has delivered a human rights petition to the Angolan embassy in Lisbon, demanding that authorities in the country guarantee a fair trial to Angolan activist and journalist Rafael Marques de Morais, according to a report in The Portugal News.
In May 2015, Marques was sentenced to six year in prison, suspended for two years, for libeling 12 people, including generals in the Angolan armed forces, following publication of his book Blood Diamonds: Corruption and Torture In Angola. Marques alleged that they, and directors of the Cuango Mining Company were responsible for killings, torture and land grabs in the country’s diamond fields.
“We want the Angolan government to begin respecting, or at least showing they respect human rights. We want this visibility for the respect for human rights,” said Amnesty International Portugal president Susana Gaspar.
Nearly 40,000 people signed the Amnesty petition on behalf of Marques.