Luanda
– An Angolan citizen has been shot dead by police enforcing social distancing
measures against the coronavirus in the capital Luanda, the government and a
witness said.
Antonio Domingos Vulola, 21, was
gunned down on Saturday after police clashed with a group of people caught
flouting a nationwide curfew and a ban on social gatherings in Luanda’s
impoverished Huambo neighbourhood.
“The citizens showed
resistance and set out to attack the forces of law, throwing sticks, stones and
bottles,” an interior ministry statement said late on Monday.
“In defence of their own
physical integrity, law enforcement officers fired shots that accidentally hit
the citizens in question.”
The victim’s brother told AFP
that Vulola was shot in the head while fleeing the scuffle.
“The police arrived and
started hitting [even] those with masks,” Joao Antonio Vulola recalled. “My
brother had no mask…so he decided to flee and it was from there that the
agent shot three bullets: one in the air and two at my brother’s head, who died
on the spot.”
‘Excess of force’ by police
The interior ministry has opened
an investigation into the incident.
To date, Angola has recorded just
43 cases of coronavirus, including two deaths.
President Joao Lourenco declared
a state of emergency in March, banning public gatherings and restricting
movement to limit the spread of Covid-19.
Rights groups across the
continent have denounced widespread incidents of violence by security officials
enforcing anti-coronavirus restrictions.
“There have been many
excesses of force by national police when acting on the state of
emergency,” said Angolan human rights defender Rafael Marques.
“Police must understand that
the government has not guaranteed living conditions or support for vulnerable
families,” he added.
“[So] there will always be
the presence of many people on the street.”
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