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Charges against ‘Blood Diamonds’ journalist dropped
Rafael Marques de Morais no longer faces 24 counts of criminal libel but had to agree not to republish his 2011 book detailing abuses in Angola’s diamond fields.
All charges have been dropped against Rafael Marques de Morais, though the investigative journalist had to a make a few concessions in the settlement reached in his case Thursday. (Photo credit: Maka Angola)
Luanda, Angola--A tribunal in Angola has dropped the criminal libel charges against Rafael Marques de Morais, the Angolan journalist put on trial by the generals and companies he named in his book detailing corruption and human rights abuses in the country’s diamond industry.
The Luanda Provincial Tribunal dropped all 24 charges against him Thursday, a move that surprised many close to the case and spared the investigative journalist years behind bars and a fine totaling more than $1 million.
In exchange for dismissal of the charges, de Morais agreed not to republish his 2011 book, Blood Diamonds: Corruption and Torture in Angola, which detailed hundreds of cases of torture and killings allegedly carried out by guards of private security firm Teleservice and soldiers in the Angolan Armed Forces in the Lunda Norte province in northeastern Angola. He also publicly acknowledged that the generals might not have known the violations were occurring.
In exchange, de Morais has continued access to monitor the conditions in Lunda Norte, and the generals agreed to ensure human rights conditions in the region are improved.
De Morais could not be reached for comment by deadline.
Brian Leber of Leber Jeweler Inc. in Chicago, one of two companies in the jewelry industry that signed on to a statement asking the Angolan government to drop the charges against the journalist, said that he’s known de Morais for years and that they were pleased to hear that the charges have been dropped.
“It can be seen as a tacit acknowledgment that his reports of human rights abuses in the diamond fields of Angola have merit. This should strongly encourage the jewelry and diamond industry, who have largely remained mute throughout the entire trial, to seriously reflect on any role they may have played, either directly or indirectly, in the documented violence,” Leber said, adding that “In light of Rafael’s reporting, our industry needs to collectively admit the diamond trade has a long way to go before the phrase ‘conflict free’ truly lives up to its claims.”
The other jewelry company that signed that statement supporting de Morais was Tiffany & Co.
De Morais’s trial began in March but was pushed back twice, first to give his lawyers time to review additional charges brought against him on his first day in court.
It was delayed again as de Morais and the generals attempted to work out a settlement.
Throughout the trial, human rights groups worldwide have spoken out on de Morais’s behalf, claiming the charges brought against him were baseless and that the government in Angola--which is the current chair of the Kimberley Process--should not punish the journalist for doing his job. (The generals who brought the charges against de Morais in Angola tried to bring a similar case against him in Portugal, where the book was published. The attorney general there dismissed it, saying he felt that Blood Diamonds was well-researched and credible.)
Sarah Hager of Amnesty International called Thursday’s decision a “huge victory for human rights and freedom of expression in Angola.”
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