MISA Regional Annual Report 2023 Introduction Over the past few years, the Angolan government has consolidated its ownership of the country’s media. The few private media organisations that operate in the country do so in a hostile environment. There needs to be more diversity in the country’s news and information. The ruling MPLA receives most media coverage, while the opposition barely gets any mention. To make matters worse, Angola does not have any community radio stations, meaning the government has a firm grip on any media content that is broadcast or published. Article 44 of the Angolan Constitution recognises the right to freedom of expression, stating that citizens can freely express and disseminate their thoughts through words, images, or any other means. The 2017 press law emphasises the right to freedom of expression. Despite these seemingly progressive provisions, some laws in the country are punitive, with self-censorship being the hallmark of the journalistic environment in Angola. Defamation is still criminalised in Angola, making it one of the few countries in the region where criminal defamation is still on the statutes. Government officials are known to file criminal defamation charges against journalists regularly. The country’s penal code still contains insult laws, thus inculcating a culture of selfcensorship. In addition, journalists accused of provocation, hate speech, defending fascist or racist beliefs, or spreading “fake news” may be charged with “abuse of press freedom”. The regulatory framework for the media was described as generally weak. Challenges MISA Angola has been inactive for a while, and this has blunted advocacy for freedom Country Reports Snapshots of expression in that country. Efforts to resuscitate the Chapter have been hampered by lack of funding and legacy issues that affect MISA Angola. Presently, the chapter has a chairperson and a deputy; however, little programming is being done. This raises the need to work on rebuilding the Chapter and building its capacity to attend to emerging issues. There is an appetite for rebuilding the Chapter, with journalists, academia and activists agreeing that the vacuum created by the inactive MISA Angola is huge and needs to be filled. Opportunities MISA Regional and MISA Mozambique are exploring ways to work on rebuilding MISA Angola. To that end, a number of meetings were held in January 2024 with key stakeholders on how the Chapter can be resuscitated. Meetings were held with civil society actors and academics to discuss what role MISA Angola can play. One key advocacy issue and journalist that MISA Angola could be involved in immediately is advocacy on the NGO law that has been brought before the country’s legislature. Authorities in Angola say the law is meant to comply with Recommendation 8 of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) on financing terrorist activities and money laundering. The law has been criticised for limiting civic space, freedom of expression and association. A number of organisations are involved in advocacy against the law. It is generally agreed that an organisation like MISA Angola would bring visibility to the advocacy initiatives. 17