The Program’s pro bono lawyers, Morrison & Foerster LLP, prepared a petition to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention which was submitted by the Southern African Litigation Center, on behalf of human rights activist José Marcos Mavungo. Mr. Mavungo was convicted in 2015 and sentenced to six years in prison for organizing a demonstration on human rights violations and bad governance in Cabinda Angola.
The UNWGAD’s opinion ruled that José Marcos Mavungo’s arrest and detention were arbitrary and in violation of international human rights standards. The UNWGAD has called on the government of Angola to immediately release José Marcos Mavungo and grant him compensation.