Angolan TikToker Neth Nahara given a sentence for 'offending' President Lourenço

A popular social media influencer in Angola named Ana da Silva Miguel, also known as Neth Nahara, has had her prison sentence increased to two years for "insulting" President João Lourenço on TikTok. Initially, she was sentenced to six months in August, but an appeals court decided this punishment was too lenient and raised it to two years instead. Ms. Miguel had accused the president on her TikTok account of "anarchy and disorganization" and blamed him for the lack of schools, housing, and employment in the country. The appeals court stated that her offensive language against the president was made even more objectionable by her influence over public opinion. Despite her pleas for leniency based on being a first-time offender and a mother of young children, the court dismissed her plea and also ordered her to pay $1,200 to President Lourenço for the damage caused to his reputation. Ms. Miguel has a significant following on TikTok, with over 230,000 followers, and her videos attract thousands of views. Her lawyer has confirmed that this is the first time someone has been convicted in Angola for something posted on TikTok and that the ruling is final, with no possibility of an appeal to the Supreme Court for a sentence less than three years. The state prosecutor had initially sought a harsher punishment, arguing that the initial six-month sentence was too lenient and that Ms. Miguel was likely to continue posting similar content on social media. Angola, despite being a major oil exporter in Africa, faces widespread poverty, and recent protests have erupted due to the rising cost of living. Human Rights Watch has accused the security forces of unlawfully killing government critics during these protests. In June, President Lourenço fired the economic minister after deadly protests over the reduction of a fuel subsidy and subsequent price increases.