AP

An Angolan police officer patrols the area.

Gilberto Neto

An Angolan court has convicted and sentenced 24 people for clashing with the police during an anti-government rally on September 3 in the capital Luanda. The police court found on Monday that the men had deliberately caused violence and disturbed public order and sentenced them to jail terms ranging from 45 days to three months each.

Two other protesters, a 60-year-old woman and a young man who reportedly fell very ill after being arrested, were set free, apparently for humanitarian reasons.

During the trial, which lasted five days, the judge refused a request from the attorneys of the protestors to present what they said was clear evidences that the violence on September 3 had been deliberately caused by police to justify heavier intervention by the government’s special forces.

Minister of the Interior and chief of the country's inteligence services, Sebastião Martins, said on Monday that images recorded of protests which purportedly showed deliberate police instigation had been manipulated.

The judge also denied a request from attorney William Tonet to change the prison terms to fines.

“It is now clear to everyone that this is a politically-motivated trial and sentence,” Tonet said in response.

He said his clients would appeal the sentence in the high court.

Angolan opposition parties said at least 30 people had been injured and 40 arrested on September 3. Media reports said those arrested are being held in secret locations.

The arrest of the protesters provoked widespread criticism against the Luanda regime in Angola and abroad. New York-based Human Rights Watch called on the government to observe local and international human rights laws.

The main opposition party Unita called for the immediate and unconditional release of the detained, and accused the MPLA government of violating constitutional rights.

The demonstration was organised by a youth organisation comprising university students and artists to protest against poverty, high university tuition fees and lack of democracy in the country.

Special forces from the Angolan police abruptly arrived when the demonstrators were heading towards the presidential palace to demand the release of one of the organisers of the demonstration who had gone missing a day before the event, and to call for President Jose Eduardo dos Santos to step down.

Police said in a written statement on September 3 that several individuals had been arrested after disobeying an order from authorities not to move beyond an established perimetre during their government-authorised protest.

Dos Santos has been ruling the country for 32 years, making him now the longest-serving ruler in Africa after Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s fall last month.

Demonstrations began erupting in Angola in March, apparently inspired by the “Arab Spring” uprisings in North Africa that began in December.

Since the September 3 demonstration, there have been at least four further protests, in Luanda, Benguela Cabinda enclave and by Angolan expatriates outside the Angolan embassy in Berlin, demanding the unconditional release of those arrested on September 3.

Police have arrested more than 30 people in these subsequent protests, including the leader of the Unita youth organisation who was reportedly taking pictures while the Luanda protesters were headingto the US embassy.