News Service 57/98

AI INDEX: AFR 12/04/98

EMBARGOED UNTIL 0001 HRS GMT 29 APRIL 1998

MEDIA ADVISORY

ANGOLA

Civilians tortured and killed in Cabinda’s forgotten war

Government soldiers have beaten, tortured and killed unarmed civilians suspected of supporting armed separatists in the Angolan enclave of Cabinda while the government looks the other way, according to a report released by Amnesty International today.

In its report, the organization draws attention to the atrocities committed by government security forces in the context of a war which has been ignored for far too long by the international community. The report highlights:

∙Torture and deliberate killings of unarmed civilians by soldiers following clashes between the army and the armed factions of the Frente para a Libertação do Enclave de Cabinda (FLEC), Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda.

∙Abuse of official power by soldiers and police who have killed or wounded people in random attacks simply because they can get away with it.

∙Soldiers and police using torture to obtain information or for punishment and intimidation.

∙The authorities’ consistent failure to investigate killings and torture by both police and soldiers and bring the perpetrators to justice strongly indicates that the perpetrators are acting with the acquiescence, if not the complicity, of the government.

∙Abuses, including the taking of hostages, by armed opposition groups.

The report concludes with a series of recommendations and calls on the government to investigate all reports of human rights violations and bring suspected perpetrators to justice.

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For a copy of the report Angola: Extrajudicial executions and torture in Cabinda (AI Index: AFR 12/02/98) or to arrange an interview, please call Amnesty International’s Press Office: +171 413 5566 or the research team: +171 413 5624. The report is also available in Portuguese.

ISDN line now available.