Luanda hospitals turn away wounded protestors

Luanda hospitals acting on 'orders from above' over the weekend turned away protestors injured after police forcefully dispersed an opposition demonstration.

Witnesses who sought anonymity said the health workers had apparently acted on instructions from administration officials.

Angola security forces Saturday descended on a young group of opposition protesters demonstrating against the excessive drinking of alcohol in the capital's Cacuaco municipality.

Civil society group United Revolutionary Movement had organised the protests that were reportedly violently broken up by armed officers who arrived in tow police vehicles.

One protester suffered head injuries while two others suffered fractures to their fingers.

The incident came after Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on the Angolan government to immediately end its use of unnecessary force against peaceful anti-government protesters, human rights activists, journalists, and opposition politicians.

“The Angolan government should respect people’s fundamental rights to peaceful assembly and free speech rather than punishing critics and the political opposition," Leslie Lefkow, HRW's deputy director for Africa said early this month.

"The repressive actions of the government do not bode well for peaceful parliamentary elections."

Angola holds elections in September this year.