Oct 11, 2015

Article Source: Yahoo! - http://news.yahoo.com/angolan-dissident-rappers-hunger-strike-enters-third-week-182003412.html

October 8, 2015 2:20 PM


Angolan activist Luaty Beirao works on his laptop in Luanda on August 30, 2012 (AFP Photo/Stephane de Sakutin)

Luanda (AFP) - Angolan rapper Luaty Beirao entered his third week of hunger strike on Thursday in protest at his detention without trial since June along with 14 other opposition activists accused of "rebellion" and seeking to "attack the president", his brother told AFP.

"We have entered the third week of hunger strike and his health is deteriorating," the rapper's brother Peter Beirao said.

Luaty Beirao, a key figure in Angola's opposition movement, was briefly hospitalised last week and then returned to his cell, his brother said. He did not undergo any medical examination.

"He is only drinking very little water. His stomach is burning and he is scared of being poisoned if he eats. He might die if he isn't released," he said.

The detained activists, who belong to a youth movement that wants President Jose Eduardo dos Santos to step down, face up to 12 years in jail if convicted on the charges they are facing.

To date however, they have not faced trial, and Angolan law only allows for pre-trial custody of up to three months for such charges.

On September 21, a day after his three-month detention period expired, Beiraou went on hunger strike.

Amnesty International on Wednesday co-signed an appeal with 14 other groups to support an EU parliament resolution seeking the release of jailed political prisoners and human rights defenders in Angola.

Activists like Beirao are also seeking better living conditions in Africa's second-biggest oil producer, where half the population still lives off less than $2 (1.8 euros) a day and where demonstrations are banned.