Reacting to the 11 November arrest of Serrote José de Oliveira, also known as General Nila, Angolan activist and leader of the National Unity for the Total Revolution of Angola (UNTRA) movement, and four other movement members during a ceremony to commemorate six years since the fatal shooting of Inocêncio de Matos by security forces during a protest, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa, Tigere Chagutah, said:
“The arrest of General Nila and four other members of UNTRA while they were peacefully participating in a ceremony is a contravention of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly.
The arrest of General Nila and four other members of UNTRA while they were peacefully participating in a ceremony is a contravention of the right to freedom of peaceful assembly.
Tigere Chagutah, Amnesty International’s Regional Director for East and Southern Africa
“According to information received by Amnesty International, this was carried out by plain-clothes officers who reportedly did not identify themselves or disclose the reasons for the arrests, raising serious concerns about the legality of the arrests and detention. Unless there are legal grounds for their detention, recognized under international human rights law, the authorities must immediately and unconditionally release them.”
Background
General Nila was shot in the leg and arrested by plain-clothes officers on 28 July 2025, while livestreaming a nationwide taxi drivers’ strike, and calling on people to stay at home. He was detained for nearly a year until the Luanda Court of Appeal ordered his release on 23 July 2026 after the court found that the legal requirements for his detention had not been met. Despite his release, the criminal proceedings and travel restrictions against him remain in place, requiring him to report to the police every 15 days. He is also prohibited from leaving Angola.
More than a year after his arrest, the authorities have neither justified his arrest and shooting nor have they investigated or held anyone accountable for his shooting, while his lawyer has repeatedly faced difficulties accessing the case file.