Angolan court orders releases jailed activists

Luanda (AFP) - An Angolan court on Wednesday freed 16 young activists, including a well-known rapper, three months after they were jailed for rebellion against long-serving President Jose Eduardo dos Santos.

Most of the group were arrested during a book club meeting in June last year where one of the books on the line-up was about non-violent resistance to repressive regimes.

The activists maintained throughout their trial they were peaceful campaigners for the departure of dos Santos, who has been in power since 1979 and rules the oil-rich country with an iron fist.

"Release warrants under house arrest were issued on behalf of 17 applicants to be executed from the present day," the Supreme Court in Luanda said in a statement.

Sixteen of the activists were freed immediately while one remained in prison Wednesday serving out a four-month sentence for a contempt of court offence imposed during the trial.

"They sentenced innocent people. Justice has been done. The struggle continues," the activists chanted as they left prison late Wednesday.

The ruling overturns sentences ranging from two to eight years in prison, which were handed down at the end of a lengthy trial in March amid complaints about political repression.

One of the accused, rapper Luaty Beirao, went on hunger strike for over a month last year to protest against his detention.

Beirao, who holds dual Portuguese and Angolan nationality, has a loyal fan base in Portugal, Angola's former colonial ruler.

As supporters waited for the activists to leave prison, defence lawyer Francisco Miguel Michel said he was "very happy".

"Any court concerned with the application of justice would have ruled the same," he said, insisting his clients "committed no crime".

- 'Public pressure' -

Human Rights Watch researcher Zenaida Machado told AFP the ruling was "long overdue".

"The order should have been given immediately after the verdict in March... I am satisfied that the Supreme Court is upholding the law of the country," she said.

The 17 had been charged with "preparatory acts of rebellion" and "criminal conspiracy".

Earlier this month, rallies were held in several foreign cities to mark one year since their detention.

Prominent independent journalist and campaigner Rafael Marques said the group should never have been arrested.

"Their release was a political decision as a result of public pressure," he added.

In March, a Portuguese branch of the Anonymous hacking collective said it had shut down about 20 Angolan government websites in retaliation for the jailing, while at the sentencing about 30 protesters chanted for the arrest of the president.

Dos Santos said earlier this year he would stand down in 2018, but there was scepticism over whether he would do so after similar pledges in the past.

His current mandate ends at the end of next year.

Rights groups say activists in Angola, Africa's second-largest oil producer, are being increasingly targeted by the government.