Angolan authorities charge journalist with criminal defamation over corruption reportNew York, September 20, 2023—Prosecutors should drop the criminal defamation, insult, and forgery charges against Angolan journalist Liberato Furtado Pereira and stop retaliating against the journalist for his public interest reporting, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday. Furtado, a reporter for privately owned Radio Luanda, is expected to appear before the district court in Luanda, the capital, on Thursday, September 21, to face charges of criminal defamation, insult, and forgery. If convicted of criminal defamation, Furtado faces up to 1.5 years in prison, according to the penal code. “Instead of targeting the media, Angola should repeal its criminal defamation and insult laws that are relics of the country’s colonial past and used as blunt censorship tools against journalists.”Furtado was formally accused of criminal defamation, insult, and forgery on April 21, 2021. According to a March 9, 2022, affidavit by the police’s Criminal Investigation Service reviewed by CPJ, the bank authenticated the bank receipt Furtado used as the basis of his reporting after initially stating it was fake.

Source: GNN Liberia September 21, 2023 18:09 UTC