Angolan journalist Felisberto da Grâça Campos was sentenced Monday by an Angolan court to six months in prison for allegedly defaming former justice minister Paulo Tjipilika. The journalist was sentenced on charges of defamation, libel, and abuse of the press, according to the Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA).
Grâça Campos is the director of the weekly Semanario Angolese. The state argues that he defamed Tjipilika in a story alleging that the former justice minister confiscated houses.
Grâça Campos' lawyer, Paulo Rangel, said he has since launched an appeal and it was accepted. "The sentence will not be implemented," insisted Rangel.
Grâça Campos had been jailed for a month on the same charge and later released. It is not clear why he was sentenced again for the same "offence". Rangel blasted the court for what he called "an unjust and excessive sentence."
Another journalist, William Tonet, director of the weekly Folha 8, also faces trial on defamation charges brought against him by the Angolan First Lady, Ana Paula Dos Santos. A ruling in his case is imminent.
