[allAfrica.com]  [celtel.com]


Judge Defends Urgent Disarmament of Civilians

Angola Press Agency (Luanda)
NEWS
August 3, 2004
Posted to the web August 4, 2004
Luanda
The Angolan State should create with urgency the basic conditions for the
collection of lethal weapons in possession of the civil population, and set up
mechanisms of control, to prevent the arms from falling into improper hands,
Judge Jose Carlos Felizardo said in Luanda today.
Speaking to Angop, the magistrate highlighted that great part of the criminal
files sent to and tried by the Provincial Court of Luanda involve fire-arms,
being the crimes committed mostly by unemployed citizens.
The official referred that this means that there is a considerable number of
weapons in possession of citizens seeking to solve any kind of problem they
come across with.
To him, the peace that the country is enjoying now and the perspectives for the
holding of the next multiparty elections "demands from the State urgent
measures for the collection of weapons in possession of the population and the
dismantling of all militia and related organisations in Angola, as they are out
of the legal framework of the constitution in force in the country".
The magistrate explained that illegal possession of fire-arms is punishable by
the Angolan law with sentences ranging from eight to 22 years of jail.

   

  =============================================================================
   Copyright © 2004 Angola Press Agency. All rights reserved. Distributed by
                    AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).
  =============================================================================