JOHANNESBURG (AP) — A lawyer representing an academic and a journalist said they have been acquitted of libel charges stemming from a Facebook post criticizing Mozambique's former president.
Defense lawyer Alvaro Pinto Basto said on Wednesday that a judge ruled that criticizing the president was not defamation.
Rights group Amnesty International said in a statement that economist Carlos Nuno Castel-Branco was charged for criticizing Mozambique's former president in a 2013 Facebook post. Newspaper editor Fernando Mbanze was prosecuted for abusing press freedom by republishing the commentary.
In Angola, rights groups say a human rights activist was convicted with "rebellion" for organizing a peaceful demonstration.
Several rights groups said in a statement that José Marcos Mavungo's conviction may set a precedent for the 16 other Angolans detained under similar charges.
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