Charges against Arão Bula Tempo dropped
Angola
On 11 July 2016, the Provincial Court of Cabinda dropped the charges against lawyer Arão Bula Tempo due to a lack of evidence. L4L welcomes this decision.
On 14 March 2015, Arão Bula Tempo was arrested in connection to his alleged involvement in the organization of a peaceful protest against human rights violations and bad governance in the Angolan province of Cabinda. He was caught on 22 October 2015, with the crimes of attempted “collaboration with foreigners to constrain the Angolan state” and rebellion.
Earlier this year, Lawyers for Lawyers called on the authorities to drop the charges against Arão Bula Tempo if they have been brought against him solely because of his human rights work and his exercise of his right to freedom of expression.
Arão Bula Tempo is a human rights lawyer and President of the Provincial Council of the Angolan Bar Association in Cabinda. Since 1998, he has been actively denouncing human rights violations committed by state agents, including arbitrary detention, torture and summary executions.