Action to support journalists

The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) has declared 8 July as a day of action to highlight the worsening situation under which Angolan journalists operate. A researcher at the media rights watch dog told IRIN on Tuesday: "At least four journalists were beaten up in May and June either because of reports they wrote or while carrying out their work." The researcher also said journalists working for the official media are the most vulnerable because they are closely monitored. "Last Friday, for example, a government TV crew was attacked by policemen while filming a police station around the capital, Luanda," the researcher said. He added that the Angolan Armed Forces has laid charges of slander and incitement to rebellion against four independent journalists. "The four journalists were detained and interrogated for hours before charges were laid with the prosecutions directorate," the researcher said. MISA argues that the absence of a constitutional court makes the situation all the harder for working journalists. "Although Angola's constitution provides for freedom of expression and of the press, journalists in Angola have no judicial recourse for the protection of their fundamental rights," MISA said, adding that the day of action would emphasise the need for the establishment of a constitutional court. The researcher said the government stripped the Supreme court of powers to deal with constitutional matters in 1997, promising to establish a constitutional court to undertake this function. "The judicial system is in a shambles," the researcher said, adding that some members of the security forces, as a result, find it easier to harass journalists whose reports they disapprove of than bring them to court.