URGENT ACTION

ACTIVIST SHOT AND HELD IN ARBITRARY DETENTION
Activist Serrote José de Oliveira, who on 28 July was shot in the leg by armed men, believed to be linked to the Criminal Investigation Services (SIC), while livestreaming at the first day of a strike in Luanda, was arrested and had been held in arbitrary detention until 1 August when his family learnt he was being held at the prison cells of the Criminal Investigation Services in Luanda. On the same day, he was presented before a court in Luanda but not formally charged. On 6 August, he was taken to the Comarca Central Prison, without his lawyers’ knowledge, where he spent few hours before being returned to SIC cells. His health condition is deteriorating but he has yet to receive medical attention for his gunshot injury. His family is yet to be granted access to him. Amnesty International calls on the Angolan authorities to ensure he has immediate access to all necessary medical care and to his family and, unless charged with a recognisable criminal offence, is immediately released.

TAKE ACTION: WRITE AN APPEAL IN YOUR OWN WORDS OR USE THIS MODEL LETTER

Minister of Justice and Human Rights
Marcy Cláudio Lopes
Casarão da Justiça, Rua 17 de Setembro
Gombota, Luanda, LU, Angola
                     E-mail: dndh.mjdh.angola@gmail.com

Dear Minister of Justice,

I am writing to express deep concern about serious human rights violations having been and continuing to be committed against 33-year-old Serrote José de Oliveira, also known as General Nila.

On 28 July, Serrote José de Oliveira – an activist and leader of UNTRA Movement - was filming a live video with fellow activists during the first day of a protest against rising fuel prices in Luanda, Angola’s capital. Men, believed to be linked to Criminal Investigation Services (SIC), approached him and the group he was with and began shooting at them. Serrote José de Oliveira was shot in the left leg. Witness believe that the armed men were from the Criminal Investigation Services.

Contrary to what had been officially communicated by the authorities, Serrote José de Oliveira was not taken to a general hospital but was instead transferred to the Talatona Municipal Command Station, where he was interrogated by several police officers. He was held in arbitrary detention until 1 August, when his family learnt that he was being held at the prison cells of the Criminal Investigation Services. On 6 August, he was transferred to the Comarca Central Prison, without his lawyers’ knowledge, where he spent few hours before being returned to SIC cells. It is of deep concern that since his arrest on 28 July, Serrote José de Oliveira has had no access to adequate medical care for his gunshot wound, despite his deteriorating health condition. Nor has his family had any access to him. His lawyer saw him twice between 28 July and 1 August but has been struggling to access him since then. Despite him being presented before a court on 1 August, he has still not been charged with an offence so the legal basis for his continued arbitrary detention remains unknown.

The shooting of Serrote José de Oliveira, while livestreaming a protest on social media, his arbitrary arrest, subsequent lack of adequate medical care for his injuries and the denial of access to his family are all extremely serious violations of Angola’s national laws and its obligations under regional and international human rights law and standards.

I urge you to take all necessary steps to ensure that Serrote José de Oliveira is immediately released. Pending that, he must be granted immediate access to all necessary medical care and to his family.

Yours sincerely,
Additional information

Civil society groups in Angola called for nationwide protests, beginning on 12 July 2025, in response to the government’s decision to raise fuel price. These protests reflected widespread frustration over the rising cost of living and the growing economic pressures faced by people in Angola. On the first day of the protests, police cracked down on protesters – using unnecessary and excessive force-  and arrested at least 12 people in Luanda.
On 19 July, activist Osvaldo Kaholol, 36, was arrested hours before another planned protest in Luanda, accused of inciting violence for allegedly participating in a livestream mobilizing people to protest. He was initially held for over 24 hours without access to his lawyer or family. His relatives later reported that he was transferred to Calomboloca Prison without any formal notification to his family or legal representatives. The family was only informed five days after the transfer. For eight consecutive days, Osvaldo was forced to wear the same clothes. He has been on hunger strike since 22 July, in protest against the authorities’ refusal to allow his family to deliver food.
Following this wave of mobilization, the Angola National Taxi Association (ANATA) called for a three-day strike starting on 28 July, also in protest against the fuel price hike. The increase led to a 50% rise in minibus taxi fares, severely impacting daily commuters who rely on this form of public transport. Violent clashes with police, acts of vandalism and looting in different parts of Luanda were reported. On 31 July, the Minister of Interior, Manuel Homem, reported the arrest of 1,214 people, 29 deaths and over 200 injured in 3 days of the strike.
Despite the scale of the protest, the Angolan government has not publicly responded to calls from civil society and opposition parties for a dialogue or review of the fuel pricing policy. This is not the first time change in fuel prices has triggered deadly protests in Angola. Amnesty International’s latest report on Angola documented that what was known as the ‘Huambo protests’ on 5 June, led to five people being killed, including a 12-year old boy who was on his way home from school.

PREFERRED LANGUAGE TO ADDRESS TARGET: Portuguese, English
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PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: 8 February 2026 
Please check with the Amnesty office in your country if you wish to send appeals after the deadline.

NAME AND PRONOUN: Serrote José de Oliveira (He/Him)

LINK TO PREVIOUS UA: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/afr12/0163/2025/en/

Additional TARGETS

His Excellency Mr Jose Goncalves Martins Gonçalves Martins Patricio
Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary  
Embassy of the Republic of Angola
22 Dorset Street W1U 6QY
Tel: 020 7299 9850
Fax: 020 7486 9397
embassy@angola.org.uk
Monday-Friday 09.00-12.00 & 13.30-16.00
Visa Section Monday-Friday 09.30-13.00
Salutation: Your Excellency