Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what (a) recent assessment she has made of human rights in Angola, (b) steps she is taking to support organisations advocating for accountability for abuses in that country and (c) representations she has made to the government of Angola in relation to accountability in relation to the deaths in Cafunfo in Lunda Norte province in January 2021.

The Government of Angola is working to improve its human rights record. On 20 April 2020, the Government approved a National Human Rights Strategy which is part of the Universal Periodic Review response and recommendations from the last two sessions of 2014 and 2020 of the UN Human Rights Council. The country's most significant, recent advances on Human Rights include the approval of a religious freedom law (Jan 2019), ratification of the UN Conventions Against Torture (UNCAT) and Racial Discrimination (CERD) and of the Optional Protocol on the Abolition of the Death Penalty (all deposited in Oct 2019). In October 2020, the Government approved a new Penal Code, which came into effect February 2021. The new Penal Code prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, granting to homosexual individuals the same liberties as any other Angolan citizen.

The British Ambassador joined like-minded partners in seeking clarification over the incident in Cafunfo in Lunda Sul province last year. Following an investigation by the Angolan authorities, shortfalls were identified in the crowd control strategies of the Angolan police force. Remedial training was provided by the authorities to avoid a repetition and ensure appropriate and proportionate action will be taken in future.