Angola: The Angolan Revolutionary Movement [Movimento Revolucionário de Angola] (MRA [MRAN]), including its structure, leaders, members and objectives; the treatment of its members by authorities (2015)

Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Ottawa

1. Overview, Structure and Objectives

In correspondence with the Research Directorate, a professor from a European university whose work focuses on Sub-Saharan Africa and who had written about Angola explained that the MRA is [translation] "not structured like a political party. It is rather a movement that brings together a variety of actors who rally around political claims, such as the resignation of the president [of Angola, José Eduardo] dos Santos" (Professor 3 Mar. 2016). The Professor stated that the MRA had [translation] "appeared spontaneously in 2011, in the heat of the Arab spring revolution," and that

[translation]

The MRA etiquette refers … more to a social movement than an organized political movement, [and] even less to a political party. Further, [the MRA] is identified by a strong desire for independence with respect to all political parties. (ibid.)

The Professor added the following regarding the opinion of MRA members:

[translation]

They consider that the ruling regime is corrupt and more concerned with its own material interests and a reckless quest for enrichment than with the wellbeing of the public. More broadly, the claims of the [MRA] concern all of the social inequalities in the country. (ibid.)

Maka Angola, an Internet site funded and run by journalist Rafael Marques de Morais [1], and that is dedicated to fighting corruption and defending democracy in Angola (Maka Angola n.d.a), calls the MRA a "group of friends and activists who have been holding anti-government protests since 2011" (ibid. n.d.b). Referring to young [MRA members] who were arrested in June 2015, Radio France internationale (RFI) states that they [translation] "represent a swath of youth who are favoured, but who were inspired by 'the Arab spring' and who no longer accept the authority of President José Eduardo dos Santos, who has been in power for 36 years" (RFI 12 Jan. 2016). Agence Afrique , a pan-African news agency with a head office in Morocco (Agence Afrique n.d.), notes that the MRA is made up of [translation] "youths who have formed an association" (ibid. 22 June 2015).

In a 2013 article in the magazine Afrique contemporaine, a periodical whose articles are peer-reviewed (France n.d.), the author, Juliana Lima, a PhD student in political sciences at Université Paris 1, comments on movements, including the MRA, that have risen in Angola in the wake of the [translation] "Arab spring," and states that their organization is [translation] "not very institutionalized, mostly for reasons of security, … [and that it] is not very (or not at all) hierarchical"; she notes that "the non-political nature of these movements is also stressed by the activists" (Lima 2013). In her article, Lima explains that the members of these groups, including the MRA, join forces through the social networks (ibid.).

The Professor is of the opinion that the MRA

[translation]

is semi-clandestine given its repression by the regime since 2011. The fact that it has not structured itself as a political party or even as a clearly identifiable and recognized movement is part of a protective strategy that has existed since the movement's inception. (Professor 3 Mar. 2016)

2. Leaders and Members

Information on the MRA leaders was scarce among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

Journalist Rafael Marques de Morais reports on the testimony of an activist who was arrested on 29 July 2015; when asked about the names of the MRA leaders in his sector, the activist responded "we [have] no leader" (Maka Angola 1 Aug. 2015). According to the Professor,

[translation]

[s]ince it is a voluntarily loosely structured movement, a network, it is not easy to tell who the leaders are. It cannot be said that the MRA has well-identified leaders. Many have appeared at various times in its brief history. From its inception, the movement has also been the target of a double strategy by the government: repress and attempt to coopt. The attempts to coopt (or to appropriate) led some to change sides and therefore [resulted in] divisions within the movement.

… [Any] list of leaders of the movement … would clearly be incomplete and could give the false impression that those who are not on it are not important for the movement. (Professor 3 Mar. 2016)

Sources state that Angolan rapper Luaty Beirão [Luaty da Silva Beirão, Henrique Luaty Beirão] is a member of the MRA (AFP 12 Nov. 2015; BBC 21 June 2015; Professor 3 Mar. 2016). The Professor stated the following:

[translation]

[K]nown by his stage name Ikonoklasta, [Luaty Beirão] made himself known right away by relaying a call for protest during a concert filmed and posted on YouTube at the end of February 2011. Since his arrest in June 2015, he has appeared in Angola, and especially on the international scene as the movement's thought leader. However, he does not call himself its leader, and even less the leader of the MRA. (ibid.)

Jeune Afrique adds that he is also known under the name of Brigadeiro Mata Frakus and that he was [translation] "behind the major protests against the re-election of the president in 2011" (Jeune Afrique 22 Sept. 2015).

The Professor gave the name of two other rapper members of the MRA: "Casimiro 'Carbono' Cardoso," who [translation] "played a key role at the start of the movement [but who] has been less active since approximately 2014," and Manuel Chivonde Baptista, nicknamed "Nito Alves" (Professor 3 Mar. 2016).

Sources state that "Manuel Nito Alves" and Mbanza Hamza, personalities known by the Angolan public, formed the association [translation] "Revolutionary Movement (Mouvement révolutionnaire)" (BBC 21 June 2015; Jeune Afrique 22 Sept. 2015). Jeune Afrique notes that they are human rights defenders (ibid.).

Another Jeune Afrique article notes that the MRA is [translation] "made up of students and young professionals" (Jeune Afrique with AFP 20 Sept. 2013). According to the Professor,

[translation]

MRA members are mostly young, urban and rather well-educated people (compared with all of the Angolan population). They live mostly in the peripheral neighbourhoods of Luanda. Luaty Beirão, the son of a former regime leader, is an exception. (Professor 3 Mar. 2016)

The Professor stated that, to his knowledge, there is no MRA membership card, and he explains this by the fact that it is a social movement (ibid.). Corroborating information or information on the number of MRA members could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

3. Treatment of MRA Members

3.1 Before 2015

The Professor stated that,

[translation]

[s]ince the first protests in 2011, the [MRA] has faced extreme repression by the Angolan authorities. [In addition], the regime also tried to attract certain [MRA] members, generally by promising them significant sums of money or other material benefits. But all of the youths whom I have interviewed in my research mentioned ill-treatment by the authorities, especially during the protests that they organized between 2011 and the end of 2014. (ibid.)

Corroborating information about government attempts to coopt MRA members by providing money or other benefits could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

3.2 Since 2015

In its 2015-2016 annual report, Amnesty International (AI) states the following about the demonstrations in Angola:

[AI English version]

[A]lthough by law demonstrations do not require authorization, the authorities frequently refused to allow them to take place. When demonstrations did take place, police often arbitrarily arrested and detained peaceful protesters. On a number of occasions police detained and beat protesters before leaving them many kilometres away from where they were seized. (AI 23 Feb. 2016)

According to the Professor, [translation] "[s]ince 2015, the repression has taken a different angle with the highly publicized arrest of 15 youths in June" (Professor 3 Mar. 2016). Some sources state that, on 20 June 2015, the police arrested 13 youths in Luanda, including Luaty Beirão (ibid.; RFI 21 June 2015; AFP 21 June 2015) and Manuel Nito Alves (ibid.; Professor 3 Mar. 2016). The BBC states that Mbanza Hamza was among those arrested (21 June 2015). Jeune Afrique cites the three men as being among those arrested (22 Sept. 2015). According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), activists stated that about 20 of them had been arrested on that date (AFP 21 June 2015).

The authorities stated that these youths had been planning actions that would upset public order and create a state security hazard (ibid.; Agence Afrique 22 June 2015; RFI 21 June 2015). According to sources, these youths were either all (ibid.) or mostly members of the MRA (Human Rights Watch 27 Jan. 2016). The BBC states that the youths were holding a meeting at the home of Luaty Beirão when they were arrested (BBC 21 June 2015). According to the Internet site Maka Angola, they were actually meeting in a library (Maka Angola n.d.b). Sources state that they had gathered to discuss books on civil rebellion (Professor 3 Mar. 2016; Human Rights Watch 27 Jan. 2016) or to translate one (RFI 12 Jan. 2016). According to the Professor,

[translation]

[t]hey were arrested in June 2015 because they had been "caught" reading and discussing Gene Sharp's book (From Dictatorship to Democracy) [2]. Furthermore, their arrest occurred some time after a list had circulated on social networks, which was relatively implausible and more humorous than political, concerning members of what should be a "national salvation government." Despite the visibly "folkloric" nature of the list, it became "evidence" in the eyes of the prosecutor conducting the trial. (Professor 3 Mar. 2016)

According to some sources, 15 people were arrested in total in this context in June 2015 (Human Rights Watch 27 Jan. 2016; AI 23 Feb. 2016), from 20 to 24 June (ibid.). In a July 2015 article, IHS Global Insight, a global insight organization that provides "economical, financial and political data" on countries and industries (IHS Global Insight n.d.), states that Osvaldo Caholo is "an activist connected to the revolutionary movement" and that he has been detained since 24 June 2015 (ibid. 2 July 2015). Sources note that two other activists [who took part in the meeting on 20 June 2015 (Maka Angola n.d.b)] were questioned by the police in August 2015, but that they were not imprisoned (Human Rights Watch 27 Jan. 2016; Maka Angola n.d.b).

AI states that the 15 people arrested in June 2015 were charged on 16 September with [AI English version] "preparatory acts of rebellion and of plotting against the President" (AI 23 Feb. 2016). The Professor stated that the youths had been charged, among other things, of [translation] "attempting to overthrow the regime" (Professor 3 Mar. 2016). AI adds that three of the activists [AI English version] "faced additional charges: Manuel Nito Alves, for illegal change of name …; Luaty Beirão for falsification of documents …, and Osvaldo Caholo for theft of documents" (AI 23 Feb. 2016). Sources state that the charges were laid after more than three months' pretrial detention (Professor 3 Mar. 2016; Human Rights Watch 27 Jan. 2016; Maka Angola n.d.b), exceeding the timeframe allowed by law (ibid.; Human Rights Watch 27 Jan. 2016).

In January 2016, RFI stated that [translation] "the trial of the 17 young opponents, charged with planning a rebellion and attack on the head of state," had resumed on 11 January (RFI 12 Jan. 2016). According to AI, [AI English version] "[t]he trial of the activists started on 16 November and breached numerous international fair trial standards, including the right to a public hearing and the right to be tried without undue delay. On 18 December [2015], the 15 activists were placed under house arrest" (AI 23 Feb. 2016). The Professor stated, for his part, that,

[translation]

[t]he conditions of their detention and the conduct of the trial, which began in the fall of 2015 and was still not finished in March 2016, were considered by all the human rights organizations that addressed the issue to have presented a serious breach of freedom and human rights.

Furthermore, the lack of independence in the Angolan justice system, which was highlighted several times, … [raises] concern that the trial [led to] overly harsh sentences for the 15 youths arrested in June 2015 and the two other activists who are also involved in the trial. (Professor 3 Mar. 2016)

The 2015 annual report by Human Rights Watch notes that the authorities banned any demonstrations in support of the 15 jailed MRA activists (Human Rights Watch 27 Jan. 2016). Similarly, AI states that,

[AI English version]

[o]n 11 October, supporters of the 15 youth activists held a vigil at Sagrada Família Church in Luanda. According to those who took part, the police arrived at the vigil with guns, water cannons and dogs. To avoid conflict with the police, the participants cut the vigil short. The next day another vigil was held, and several people were briefly detained by the police before being released without charge. (AI 23 Feb. 2016)

According to AFP, [translation] "[a]t least 12 opponents demanding the resignation of the Angolan president … were arrested [on 11 November 2015]" and released the next day; they were "all members" of the MRA (AFP 12 Nov. 2015). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Notes

[1] Rafael Marques de Morais is a contributor to the British daily The Guardian (The Guardian n.d.). Transparency International (TI) gave him an award in 2013 for his participation in the fight against corruption in Angola (TI n.d.).

[2] The Internet site Irénées.net, "a documentary website," states that From Dictatorship to Democracy is a book that [translation] "explains how to destroy a dictatorship, however powerful, in a brilliant lesson of strategy" (Irénées.net 2010).

References

Agence Afrique. 22 June 2015. "Angola : intervention musclée contre de jeunes protestataires." [Accessed 23 Feb. 2016]

Agence Afrique. N.d. "Qui sommes-nous?" [Accessed 10 Mar. 2016]

Agence France-Presse (AFP). 12 November 2015. "Angola : 12 opposants interpellés le jour du 40e anniversaire de l'indépendance." [Accessed 24 Feb. 2016]

Agence France-Presse (AFP). 21 June 2015. "Angola Arrests 13 Dissident Youths, Including Rapper." (Factiva)

Amnesty International (AI). 23 February 2016. "Angola". Amnesty International - Rapport 2015/16 : la situation des droits humains dans le monde. [Accessed 3 Mar. 2016]

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). 21 June 2015. "Angola : des activistes arrêtés." [Accessed 19 Feb. 2016]

France. N.d. Agence française de développement (AFD). "La collection." [Accessed 14 Mar. 2016]

The Guardian. N.d. "Rafael Marques de Morais." [Accessed 11 Mar. 2016]

Human Rights Watch. 27 January 2016. "Angola." World Report 2016: Events of 2015. [Accessed 5 Feb. 2016]

IHS Global Insight. 2 July 2015. Martin Roberts. "Watch for: Indiscriminate Violence and Arbitrary Arrests in Luanda over the Coming Week During Police Raids and Protests." (Factiva)

IHS Global Insight. N.d. "About IHS Global Insight." [Accessed 11 Mar. 2016]

Irénées.net. 2010. Federico Mayor Zaragoza. "Gene Sharp - Trois livrets pratiques pour la non-violence." [Accessed 9 Mar. 2016]

Jeune Afrique. 22 September 2015. Sabrina Myre. "Angola : 13 militants arrêtés par la police, dont le rappeur Luaty da Silva Beirão." [Accessed 23 Feb. 2016]

Jeune Afrique with Agence France-Presse (AFP). 20 September 2013. "Trois manifestants arrêtés à Luanda par la police angolaise." [Accessed 19 Feb. 2016]

Lima, Juliana. 2013. "Des 'printemps arabes' à la 'nouvelle révolution' en Angola. Mobilisation et contestation politique dans l'après-guerre." Afrique contemporaine, Vol. 1, No. 245. [Accessed 3 Mar. 2016]

Maka Angola. 1 August 2015. Rafael Marques de Morais. "Violence and Arrests Thwarted Another Protest in Angola." [Accessed 3 Mar. 2016]

Maka Angola. N.d.a. "What Is Maka?" [Accessed 3 Mar. 2016]

Maka Angola. N.d.b. Rafael Marques de Morais. "Rights Groups Demand the Release of 15 Youth Activists." [Accessed 3 Mar. 2016]

Professor, specializing in Sub-Saharan Africa. 3 March 2016. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.

Radio France internationale (RFI). 12 January 2016. "Angola : reprise du procès de 17 opposants." [Accessed 25 Feb. 2016]

Radio France internationale (RFI). 21 June 2015. "Angola : arrestation de plusieurs jeunes opposants au régime." [Accessed 19 Feb. 2016]

Transparency International (TI). N.d. "Rafael Marques de Morais, Journalist and Human Rights Activist - Angola." [Accessed 11 Mar. 2016]

Additional Sources Consulted

Oral sources: Professor of African politics, Oxford University.

Internet sites, including: Africa Confidential; Africatimes; Afrik.com; Afrique News Info; AllAfrica; Angolan News Agency; BD Live; Camerpost.com; Central Angola 7311; Club-K; Council on Foreign Relations; ecoi.net; Factiva; Freedom House; Global Voices; The Guardian; Ireland - Refugee Documentation Centre; Minority Rights Group International; Œil d'Afrique; Political Handbook of the World 2015; Politics.ox; Stanford University; Swiss Peace; United Nations - Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Refworld, ReliefWeb; United States - Department of State; Voix de l'Afrique in Canada.