Luanda, Dec. 4, 2025 (Lusa) - The Angolan Journalists' Union (SJA) expressed concern on Thursday about the involvement of journalists in the case involving two Russian citizens detained for alleged espionage and financing terrorism, promising legal support to the professionals involved.
Pedro Miguel, secretary-general of the SJA, said the union is providing legal support to journalists involved in this case, both as defendants and witnesses, noting that journalist Amor Carlos Tomé, already in custody, has legal support from the union.
"I would just like to reiterate that any journalist who needs legal support, within the scope of the agreement signed with PRO-BONO Angola, will be offered legal assistance, as is currently the case with Amor Carlos Tomé," Pedro Miguel said today in an interview with Lusa.
Several media professionals are on the list of witnesses in the case involving two Russian citizens, Igor Rotchin Mihailovich, 38, and Lev Matveevich Lakshtanov, 64, and Angolans Amor Carlos Tomé, a 38-year-old journalist, and Oliveira Francisco, a political leader of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), Angola's largest opposition party.
The suspects, arrested on 7 August in Luanda, are charged with espionage, terrorist organisation and financing of terrorism, public incitement to crime, terrorism, active corruption of public officials and illegal introduction of foreign currency into the country, according to the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP).
According to Pedro Miguel, some journalists, listed as witnesses, have already been summoned by the Attorney General's Office, emphasising that the SJA is on alert to provide lawyers to professionals in the class when necessary.
He also expressed "concern" about the involvement of journalists in this case, questioning the accusations of financing terrorism levelled at Amor Carlos Tomé.
"A few days earlier, [Carlos Tomé] had requested financial support to resolve a particular situation, so how did he suddenly become a financier of terrorism? These are the questions that need to be asked," he noted.
However, he continued, the union is "patiently looking at the case" through lawyers, from whom they expect "some information for the defence of colleagues who are directly and indirectly involved in the Carlos Tomé case and the declarants".
Miguel also questioned where the journalists would have found the money to finance terrorism, citing the Public Prosecutor's accusation, when they earn "precarious salaries": "Many live in rented houses, so where would they have got the money to finance terrorism? So, let's let justice take its course, and we are monitoring the situation," he said.
The defendants Lev Lakshtanov, Amor Carlos Tomé and Oliveira Francisco, are said to be salaried members of an organisation whose activities include secret networks and professionalised propaganda, commercial lobbying fronts, "which carry out aggressive information campaigns and cyber warfare, including large-scale cloning of websites and cyber espionage," according to the Public Prosecutor's Office.
According to the indictment, consulted by Lusa, the defendants allegedly contacted journalists and offered them money to publish and promote content on websites and social networks linked to the promotion of social unrest and to opposition to Angolan President João Lourenço.
DAS/ADB // ADB.
Lusa
