A group of civil society organizations are making public a letter sent to the Minister of the Interior of Angola Mr. Roberto Leal Monteiro Ngongo to express their concern about the situation of human rights defenders in that country. Recent years have seen a disturbing pattern of intimidation and harassment of human rights defenders and groups in Angola, as documented by national and international organizations.

The organizations Association for Justice Peace and Democracy (AJPD), Association Building Communities (ACC), and OMUNGA, from Angola, Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE), Christian Aid, Front Line, Pambazuka News, the Action by Christians for the Abolition of Torture (ACAT France), and the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, formed by the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), fear for the well being of Mr. Luiz Araújo, a human rights defender and coordinator of the directorate of SOS Habitat in Angola who received life threats in August 2009. Araújo is well known for his work and to the statements he had made regarding poor people’s rights, especially on the access to land and adequate housing.

Following these events threatening his physical integrity, Mr. Luís Araújo was forced to go on exile abroad in order to guarantee his safety. He intends to return to his country and to reside in the capital Luanda, and hope that conditions will be created to guarantee the safety and protection to human rights defenders.

The signatories of the letter understand that it is the obligation of the State to create all the conditions of safety so its citizens can freely exercise their rights and ensure their participation and of the civil society organisations in addressing the problems of the country (article 31, line 2, Constitution of the Republic of Angola). The document [pdfs available to view in English and in Portuguese] was sent with copies to the President of the Republic of Angola, to the President of the National Assembly, to the United Nations Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders and to the President of the African Commission of Human and People's Rights.

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