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RAPAPORT... Charges of defamation against journalist Rafael Marques de Morais in Angola were dropped on May 21 following an out-of-court settlement. The case stemmed from his 2011 book, "Blood Diamonds: Torture and Corruption in Angola," in which he documented the torture and murder of villagers by private security forces that controlled the diamond mines. Marques de Morais originally faced nine charges of defamation on March 23 brought by at least seven military generals who owned the security firms, but the court added 15 more and postponed the trial until May 14. During the delay, parties involved had been negotiating to find "common ground," he said in April.
Index on Censorship's CEO, Jodie Ginsberg, said, “In light of a number of free speech concerns in the region, it’s vital that the charges against Rafael Marques de Morais have been dropped. Rafael’s crucial investigations into human rights abuses in Angola should not be impeded.” Marques de Morais was jointly awarded the 2015 Index on Censorship Freedom of Expression Award for Journalism in March.
During the proceedings yesterday, the author acknowledged that he had not contacted the generals before writing the book, but had reported the human rights abuses to the security companies. "I only learned in court that the companies never informed (the generals). I acknowledged the explanation they gave to me,” he said. The cases of torture and murder that were outlined in the book never came into question, he added.
With the trial behind him, Marques de Morais told Index that it was "great news indeed."
Over the past year, numerous groups have come to the defense of Marques de Morais and condemned the charges, including Reporters Without Borders, Transparency International, Human Rights Watch, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights and the African Commission on Human & Peoples' Rights special rapporteur. Twice in the past year, the coalition in support of the author sent urgent appeals to the Angolan government to drop the charges, citing "highly irregular" practices in the way the court charged Marques de Morais and that it had, on numerous occasions, restricted his ability to defend himself as permitted under the African Charter, International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Angolan law.
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