Despite legal provisions requiring respect for human rights and police reforms to entrench such respect, human rights violations by the police continue with impunity in Angola. This paper, published by Amnesty International, documents human rights violations by Angolan police between 2005 and 2007 and the failure to bring perpetrators to justice. Angolan authorities and international agencies should strengthen police accountability mechanisms and create an independent oversight agency in order to end Angola’s culture of impunity.
As a result of its involvement in military combat during Angola’s 27-year civil war, police still use military methods, rather than operational standards for civilian policing. With limited capacity and lack of accountability training due to under-funding, the force is underdeveloped and ill-equipped to operate as a fair and just security institution.
National police regulatory laws, internal disciplinary mechanisms and a police Modernisation and Development Plan 2003/2012 focusing on professionalism, civic responsibility and transparency are in place. Angola is a party to international and regional policing conventions and codes of conduct. However, it has not yet ratified United Nations conventions against torture and inhuman, degrading treatment or punishment.
The following examples indicate a pattern of internal and external, provincial and national institutional failure to check widespread Angolan police abuse:
- Internal disciplinary mechanisms are not enforced. Obedience to unlawful orders and excessive use of force are unchecked by police supervisors. Disciplinary proceedings generally do not occur.
- Police do not respond routinely to citizens’ complaints of abuse; provincial complaints offices do not provide information to the public.
- The national legislature has failed to enact legislation prohibiting and penalising torture, ill-treatment and punishment.
- While the national Procurator General’s Office has the responsibility to investigate police crimes against citizens, in many cases, it does not investigate. When investigations occur, they are not made public.
- While police abuse can be investigated by independent mechanisms such as the Justice Ombudsman, this office investigates only the more serious issues. It does not provide comprehensive independent scrutiny of the police.
- While the Angolan media and NGOs report and publicise human rights violations, in some cases, police have arbitrarily arrested journalists. The police do not cooperate with NGOs and the media to ensure that human rights violators are brought to justice.
The following strengthening of Angolan police accountability should occur:
Angolan authorities should:
- bring perpetrators of human rights violations to justice and provide training based on human rights standards;
- reform police codes and regulations to conform to international standards;
- prohibit all forms or torture and other ill-treatment or punishment; and
- consider the establishment of an independent police complaints authority and ensure that police cooperate with NGOs that provide police oversight.
International agencies and governments should:
- coordinate Angolan police training to ensure its consistency with international human rights standards; and
- use their influence to encourage authorities to investigate human rights violators and bring them to justice.
