Rafael Marques
Encyclopedia
Rafael Marques de Morais (Luanda
, Angola
August 31, 1971) is a journalist and human rights
activist whose reports on the diamond industry and government corruption have earned him international acclaim. He currently runs the anti-corruption watchdog Maka Angola (www.makaangola.com).
José Eduardo dos Santos
, on July 3, 1999. The National Criminal Investigation Division (DNIC) questioned him on October 13 for several hours before releasing him. Later that day Morais gave an interview with Radio Ecclésia and repeated his criticism of the dos Santos government. Twenty armed members of the Rapid Intervention Police arrested him along with Aguiar dos Santos, the publisher of Agora, and Antonio José Freitas, Agora staff reporter, on charges of defamation on October 16, 1999. Marques said dos Santos bore responsibility for the "destruction of the country... for the promotion of incompetence, embezzlement and corruption as political and social values." Marques also referred to dos Santos as a "dictator." A Luanda court found Freitas innocent but found Aguiar and Marques guilty on March 31, 2000. The court sentenced Aguiar to two months in prison and a $6,000 fine. Marques, found guilty of violating articles 43, 44, 45 and 46 of Press Law No. 22/91, received a sentence of six months in prison. Marques refused food for eight days to protest his inability to meet with his lawyer, Anacleta Perreira, or his family. Police released him on bail on November 25 but barred him from leaving Luanda or talking to journalists.
He received the Civil Courage Prize
from the Northcote Parkinson Fund in 2006. The award recognizes "extraordinary heroes of conscience".
Luanda
Luanda, formerly named São Paulo da Assunção de Loanda, is the capital and largest city of Angola. Located on Angola's coast with the Atlantic Ocean, Luanda is both Angola's chief seaport and its administrative center. It has a population of at least 5 million...
, Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
August 31, 1971) is a journalist and human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
activist whose reports on the diamond industry and government corruption have earned him international acclaim. He currently runs the anti-corruption watchdog Maka Angola (www.makaangola.com).
The Lipstick of the Dictatorship
Marques wrote "The Lipstick of the Dictatorship," an article criticizing PresidentPresident of Angola
The President of the Republic of Angola is both head of state and head of government in Angola. While the President appoints a Prime Minister, executive authority usually belongs to the President....
José Eduardo dos Santos
José Eduardo dos Santos
José Eduardo dos Santos is an Angolan politician who has been the second and current President of Angola since 1979. As President, José Eduardo dos Santos is also the commander in chief of the Angolan Armed Forces and president of the MPLA , the party that has been ruling Angola since...
, on July 3, 1999. The National Criminal Investigation Division (DNIC) questioned him on October 13 for several hours before releasing him. Later that day Morais gave an interview with Radio Ecclésia and repeated his criticism of the dos Santos government. Twenty armed members of the Rapid Intervention Police arrested him along with Aguiar dos Santos, the publisher of Agora, and Antonio José Freitas, Agora staff reporter, on charges of defamation on October 16, 1999. Marques said dos Santos bore responsibility for the "destruction of the country... for the promotion of incompetence, embezzlement and corruption as political and social values." Marques also referred to dos Santos as a "dictator." A Luanda court found Freitas innocent but found Aguiar and Marques guilty on March 31, 2000. The court sentenced Aguiar to two months in prison and a $6,000 fine. Marques, found guilty of violating articles 43, 44, 45 and 46 of Press Law No. 22/91, received a sentence of six months in prison. Marques refused food for eight days to protest his inability to meet with his lawyer, Anacleta Perreira, or his family. Police released him on bail on November 25 but barred him from leaving Luanda or talking to journalists.
He received the Civil Courage Prize
Civil Courage Prize
The Civil Courage Prize is a human rights award which is awarded to "steadfast resistance to evil at great personal risk — rather than military valor." It is awarded by the Trustees of The Train Foundation annually and may be awarded posthumously....
from the Northcote Parkinson Fund in 2006. The award recognizes "extraordinary heroes of conscience".