Amnesty International has called on Angola to release an activist who has been held “arbitrarily” for more than 500 days while suffering from serious health problems.
Tanaice Neutro was detained in January of last year after reportedly posting a video on YouTube in which he referred to Angolan President Joo Lourenço as a “clown” and the authorities as “ignorant.”
The campaign group considers his continued detention a “travesty of justice” despite a judge’s order for his release.
“Tanaice Neutro’s ongoing detention and denial of medical care may amount to torture and other ill-treatment,” said Amnesty International’s East and Southern Africa director, Tigere Chagutah.
Mr Neutro is a singer and activist whose songs address societal concerns in Angola such as poverty, corruption, and human rights violations.
He received a 15-month suspended sentence in October after being convicted of expressing “outrage against the State and its symbols.”
