Luanda - Members of the National Assembly (AN) on Thursday, in Luanda, intensely debated the duties of demonstrators in relation to the new Draft Law on Freedom of Assembly and Demonstration.
Due to the lack of consensus after each intervention by the deputies, the voting process was postponed for the next session.
During the discussions, MPs argued that the organisers of the demonstration should inform, in due time, of their intention to hold such gathering, indicating the venue, date, time, the names and contact details of the meeting's promoters, adding that it should take place exactly as planned and the organisers should leave the venue in the same conditions as they found it.
The demonstrators should respect each other by respecting everyone´s security, moral and interest and regardless of the time, it should not put the society at risk but should respect the rules related to the use of loud instruments.
Regarding freedom of demonstration, along with the duty of prior notification, it seeks to inhibit the dissemination of messages inciting hatred and violence.
Demonstrators must refrain from forcing others to participate, from attacking personality, namely dignity, honour and good name, as well as respecting the locations defined, under the terms of this draft law and the duty to respect the authorities.
The deputies considered it essential that the organisers should protect the public assets, thus arrangements to prevent the notice of intention to stop the holding of meetings or demonstrations should be made and previous information would be required if the meeting is held in closed places.
Some of the deputies consider it essential that organisers protect public property, so measures should be taken to prevent the notification of an intention to prevent meetings or demonstrations from taking place, with prior information required if the meeting is to be held in enclosed premises.
However, the chairman of the Committee on Constitutional and Legal Affairs took the opportunity to call the MPs to suggest that a state must act, saying that it is better to approve laws by consensus than by majority.
Other deputies suggested that children and teenergers should be allowed to participate in these kinds of events as long as their safety is guaranteed.
In the debates, it was even suggested that the security forces should be prohibited from detaining demonstrators and their objects, and that they should use the same means as those of the demonstrators, although some argued that regulating police excesses was not part of the purpose of the law.
On his turn, the MP Reis Júnior revealed that there were already other laws regulating police activity, as well as the penal code, which specifies cases of civil and criminal liability.
During a debate in the specialty on Draft Law, on Wednesday the plenary approved its focal point with 63 points and the article nº 2 with 57 votes.
The debate on the bill began on Monday in the speciality session, with 20 articles that aim to replace Law 16/91 of 11 May on the Freedom of Assembly and Demonstration Bill, currently in force.
JFS/SC/ADR/MRA/jmc
