A TikToker in Angola has been sentenced to two years in jail for insulting President João Lourenço on the social media platform.
Ana da Silva Miguel, known as Neth Nahara, was initially sentenced to six months in jail by a lower court, but an appeals court ruled that the sentence was too lenient and increased it to two years.
Miguel was accused of using offensive words against the president and blaming him for the lack of schools, housing, and employment in the country. She was also ordered to pay President Lourenço $1,200 for the “damage” to his reputation.
The ruling has been condemned by human rights groups, who say it is a violation of freedom of expression.
Miguel’s lawyer told Portuguese news outlet Lusa that this was the first time a person had been convicted in Angola for something they had posted on TikTok. He added that the ruling was final and could only be appealed to the Supreme Court for sentences of three years or more.
The state prosecutor had asked for a harsher punishment, saying that the initial six-month sentence was too lenient and that Miguel was likely to put similar social media posts again.
Peoplesmind