João Maria de Sousa
Encyclopedia
General João Maria de Sousa is the Attorney General
of Angola
and "the top magistrate of the Prosecuting Council". In a December 2007 ceremony reconfirming his post (which has been held since at least 2004) and attended by members of the press, de Sousa was photographed being sworn in to office
by José Eduardo dos Santos
, President, Head of Government, and Commander-in-Chief
of the Armed Forces of Angola
.
s" Francisco Higino Carneiro
, Hélder Vieira Dias
, Roberto Leal Monteiro
, and Kundi Paihama, one of the military
leaders holding top ministerial posts for the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola
, the political party
that has ruled Angola since it gained its independence from Portugal
in 1975.
nobleman
credited with bringing the seed
s of the breadfruit
tree to São Tomé
in 1858.
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
of Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
and "the top magistrate of the Prosecuting Council". In a December 2007 ceremony reconfirming his post (which has been held since at least 2004) and attended by members of the press, de Sousa was photographed being sworn in to office
Oath of office
An oath of office is an oath or affirmation a person takes before undertaking the duties of an office, usually a position in government or within a religious body, although such oaths are sometimes required of officers of other organizations...
by José Eduardo dos Santos
José Eduardo dos Santos
José Eduardo dos Santos is an Angolan politician who has been the second and current President of Angola since 1979. As President, José Eduardo dos Santos is also the commander in chief of the Angolan Armed Forces and president of the MPLA , the party that has been ruling Angola since...
, President, Head of Government, and Commander-in-Chief
Commander-in-Chief
A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
of the Armed Forces of Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
.
Military background
General de Sousa is, along with fellow "top generalGeneral
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
s" Francisco Higino Carneiro
Francisco Higino Carneiro
General Francisco Higino Lopes Carneiro is Minister of Public Works of Angola. He is, along with fellow "top generals" João Maria de Sousa, Hélder Vieira Dias, Roberto Leal Monteiro, and Kundi Paihama, one of the military leaders holding top ministerial posts for the Popular Movement for the...
, Hélder Vieira Dias
Hélder Vieira Dias
General Manuel Hélder Vieira Dias Jr, known by the nickname "Kopelipa", is director of the National Reconstruction Office, a top governmental position in Angola...
, Roberto Leal Monteiro
Roberto Leal Monteiro
General Roberto Leal Monteiro, nicknamed Ngongo, is Home Affairs Minister of Angola, a top governmental position in that country. He is — along with fellow "top generals" Francisco Higino Carneiro, João Maria de Sousa, Hélder Vieira Dias, and Kundi Paihama — one of the military leaders...
, and Kundi Paihama, one of the military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
leaders holding top ministerial posts for the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola
Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola
The People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola - Labour Party is a political party that has ruled Angola since the country's independence from Portugal in 1975...
, the political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
that has ruled Angola since it gained its independence from Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
in 1975.
Statements
- In 2004, de Sousa stated that Angola's National PolicePoliceThe police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
should act against criminals rather than to quell dissent. - In late 2007, de Sousa expressed satisfaction that the year was drawing to and end without an excess of people held in protective custodyProtective custodyProtective custody is a type of imprisonment to protect a prisoner from harm, either from outside sources or other prisoners. Many administrators believe the level of violence, or the underlying threat of violence within prisoners, is a chief factor causing the need for PC units...
in Angola. He revisited this topic publicly in March 2008 when he blamed a shortage of magistrateMagistrateA magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
s and judgeJudgeA judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
s for the excess of preventive custodyProtective custodyProtective custody is a type of imprisonment to protect a prisoner from harm, either from outside sources or other prisoners. Many administrators believe the level of violence, or the underlying threat of violence within prisoners, is a chief factor causing the need for PC units...
cases in Angola stating that the number of cases presented daily "is too high and the number of judges and attorneys existing is insufficient for us to deal with all cases in time". The Attorney General refused to reveal the number of prisonPrisonA prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
ers to whom this situation applies, but said that efforts were being made to engage more qualified magistrates with the provincial courts. He added that only through the training of more magistrates would the problem be resolved. - In a January 2008 interviewInterviewAn interview is a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.- Interview as a Method for Qualitative Research:"Definition" -...
with Rádio Nacional de AngolaRadio stationRadio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
, de Sousa said the detention of journalistJournalistA journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
Fernando Lelo was justified based on "strong signs of crime against the State security". He denied that there were any "irregularities in his detention" and said that Lelo's offenses included the incitement of Angolan Armed ForcesAngolan Armed ForcesThe Angolan Armed Forces are the military in Angola that succeeded Forças Armadas de Libertação de Angola following the abortive Bicesse Accord with UNITA in 1991. As part of the peace agreement, troops from both armies were to be demilitarized and then integrated. Integration was never completed...
soldiers to commit crimes. - In another early 2008 interview, when speaking on the issue of whether or not NigeriaNigeriaNigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
n militant Henry OkahHenry OkahHenry Okah is a Nigerian guerrilla leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta . MEND has claimed responsibility for attacks on oil companies operating in the Niger Delta, often through the use of sabotage, guerilla warfare or kidnapping of foreign oil workers...
(also known by the alias Jomo Gbomo and believed to be a spokesperson for the Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta) would be extraditedExtraditionExtradition is the official process whereby one nation or state surrenders a suspected or convicted criminal to another nation or state. Between nation states, extradition is regulated by treaties...
, de Sousa said "TerrorismTerrorismTerrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
is an issue that worries all countries. And in due time we're going announce (our decision)". Okah was deported from Angola the following month and faces the death penalty. - En route to attending the JohannesburgJohannesburgJohannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
, South AfricaSouth AfricaThe Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
meeting of the Executive Committee of Attorneys' Association of Africa in February 2008, de Sousa addressed reporters at the international airportInternational airportAn international airport is any airport that can accommodate flights from other countries and are typically equipped with customs and immigration facilities to handle these flights to and from other countries...
in LuandaLuandaLuanda, formerly named São Paulo da Assunção de Loanda, is the capital and largest city of Angola. Located on Angola's coast with the Atlantic Ocean, Luanda is both Angola's chief seaport and its administrative center. It has a population of at least 5 million...
to describes subjects on that meeting's agenda including children's rightsChildren's rightsChildren's rights are the human rights of children with particular attention to the rights of special protection and care afforded to the young, including their right to association with both biological parents, human identity as well as the basic needs for food, universal state-paid education,...
, domestic violenceDomestic violenceDomestic violence, also known as domestic abuse, spousal abuse, battering, family violence, and intimate partner violence , is broadly defined as a pattern of abusive behaviors by one or both partners in an intimate relationship such as marriage, dating, family, or cohabitation...
, human traffickingHuman traffickingHuman trafficking is the illegal trade of human beings for the purposes of reproductive slavery, commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or a modern-day form of slavery...
, and organised crime.
Name
General de Sousa should not be confused with João Maria de Sousa e Almeida, Baron de Agua-Izé, a PortuguesePortuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
nobleman
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
credited with bringing the seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s of the breadfruit
Breadfruit
Breadfruit is a species of flowering tree in the mulberry family, Moraceae, growing throughout Southeast Asia and most Pacific Ocean islands...
tree to São Tomé
São Tomé
-Transport:São Tomé is served by São Tomé International Airport with regular flights to Europe and other African Countries.-Climate:São Tomé features a tropical wet and dry climate with a relatively lengthy wet season and a short dry season. The wet season runs from October through May while the...
in 1858.