‘Let’s use the constitution and technology, our own phones, to defend ourselves. Let’s read books to know our rights, and then use our phones to film everything.’ Neth Nahara
TIKTOKER JAILED FOR POLITICAL VIEWS
Ana da Silva Miguel is serving a two-year sentence in Angola simply for criticising the president on social media.
A digital influencer with thousands of followers on social media, Ana da Silva Miguel (aka Neth Nahara) used her platform to speak about both her personal life and current social and political issues. She was known for her polemical and controversial positions. But in Angola, where freedom of expression has been under attack in recent years, this can get you into trouble. On 13 August 2023, Neth was arrested at her home in the capital, Luanda, after broadcasting live on TikTok criticising President João Lourenço. The next day, the first stage court convicted her of an ‘outrage against the state, its symbols and bodies’ under article 333 of the penal code. She was sentenced to six months in prison and fined one million kwanza (approximately $1,200). The following month, the second stage court extended Neth’s sentence to two years, after an appeal by the public prosecutor. The court did not allow her lawyers to counter-appeal as is legally prescribed and has not responded to
16 AMNESTY WINTER 2024
their complaint over the flawed process. A keen singer and dancer, Neth has two children, a five-year-old son and a two-year- old daughter. On her social media channels, she often spoke about her health and, in 2020, made it public that she is HIV positive. But during her imprisonment, the authorities denied Neth her daily antiretroviral medical treatment for eight months, which severely impacted her health and put her life at risk. In December 2023, she received emergency hospitalisation. Neth’s mother, Zeferina Silva, told Amnesty that although her daughter’s health is now stable, her morale is low. ‘Being in jail is hard,’ she said. ‘She’s demoralised. We don’t know how this case will end because Neth is not like a regular prisoner, there are political motivations involved and politics isn’t easy in Angola… all I want is for Neth to get out of prison because she’s suffering and her children need her,
it’s
not fair that they’re growing up without their mother.’
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