By Riches Soberekon
An Angolan social media influencer has been sentenced to two years in prison for “insulting” President João Lourenço on TikTok.
Ana da Silva Miguel, known as Neth Nahara, was initially sentenced to six months in prison in August, but an appeal court increased the sentence to two years on Tuesday.
The court said Miguel’s offensive words against the president and her significant influence on public opinion warranted the harsher sentence.
Miguel was convicted of violating Angola’s Criminal Code, which prohibits insulting the president or other high-ranking officials.
The law has been criticized by human rights groups as a tool for silencing dissent.
Miguel is the first person in Angola to be convicted for content posted on TikTok. Her lawyer, David Mendes, said she will appeal the conviction, but the ruling is final, as appeals to the Supreme Court are only permitted for sentences exceeding three years.
Miguel’s case has sparked concerns about freedom of expression in Angola. Angola is ranked 139th out of 180 countries on the World Press Freedom Index, and journalists and activists have been regularly harassed and intimidated.
In a statement, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemned Miguel’s sentence and called for her immediate release.
“Angola’s conviction of Neth Nahara for insulting the president is a clear violation of her right to free expression,” said Angela Quintal, CPJ’s Africa program coordinator. “The Angolan government should immediately release Nahara and drop all charges against her.”
The sentence against Miguel has also been criticized by Angolan activists and opposition politicians.
“This is a dangerous precedent that sets Angola back on the road to authoritarianism,” said Rafael Marques de Morais, a prominent Angolan human rights activist.
“The Angolan government must respect the right to freedom of expression and end its crackdown on dissent.”
