Angola punishes ‘coup ringleaders’

– An Angolan court handed down jail terms on Wednesday, ranging from four to 10 years, to eight men accused of seeking to topple the country’s long-ruling president, Jose Eduardo dos Santos.

The men were described as the ringleaders among 35 former fighters from the Unita opposition party that allegedly tried to seize power in January 2016.

The purported plot was reported by the Angolan media in November and 35 people were placed on trial in Luanda, the capital, just a few days later.

Summarising his case last month, prosecutor Edelvasse Matias urged the court to hand down jail terms of six to eight years.

“The accused sought to foment trouble against the Angolan state and physically harm President Eduardo dos Santos,” Matias said.

“If their scheme had succeeded, it would have destroyed the lives of millions of Angolans.”

According to the indictment, the men were arrested on January 30 and 31 last year, close to the presidential palace and the public TV and radio station.

It said they had eight guns, as well as knives and bayonets.

The men were accused of plotting “to take over [the TV station] after capturing the head of state at the presidential palace”, the indictment said.

But the accused repeatedly denied the charges. One of their lawyers, Assureira Sebastiao, on Wednesday said the verdict was a “political” decision and that there would be an appeal. Unita has denied any involvement in the affair. –