Information on whether there are any restrictions on the issuance of passports to persons considered to be "anti-communist" [AGO19879.E]

Specific information on whether there are any restrictions on the issuance of passports to persons considered to be "anti-communist" could not be found among the sources consulted by the DIRB. However the following may be of interest.

Country Reports 1993 indicates that since the defection of two well-known members of the National Union for the Total Liberation of Angola (UNITA), the government had denied permission to travel abroad to UNITA National Assembly deputies (1994, 4). According to the same source, "the government made it difficult for other opposition party members to travel abroad during legislative recess by limiting their access to requisite foreign exchange" (ibid., 4, 5). Further information or corroboration could not be obtained.

In a 22 February 1995 telephone interview, the Consul of the Embassy of the Republic of Angola in Washington, DC stated that all Angolan citizens can obtain an Angolan passport, providing that they submit to the local passport office a completed passport application, two photos, a copy of the applicant's ID card and a letter from the Department of Justice stating that the applicant has no criminal record. According to the Consul, information on the applicant's political affiliation is not required (ibid.).

In its October 1993 report on Angola, the Berne-based Office Fédéral des Réfugiés (ODR) indicates that Angolan nationals who wish to leave the country require an exit and entry visa known as the Visto de Saida et Entrada (Oct. 1993). According to the ODR, a Visto de Saida et Entrada should be valid for 45 days (ibid.).

This response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the DIRB within time constraints. This response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find attached the list of sources consulted in researching this information request.

References

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1993. 1994. United States Department of State. Washington, DC: United States Government Printing Office.

Embassy of the Republic of Angola, Washington, DC. 22 February 1995. Telephone interview with Consul.

ODR-Bulletin d'Information [Berne]. October 1993. "Angola."

Attachment

ODR-Bulletin d'Information [Berne]. October 1993. "Angola."

Other Sources Consulted

Africa Confidential [London]. Janaury 1993-present.

Africa Research Bulletin [Oxford]. 1992-present.

Amnesty International Report. 1992-1994.

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1993. 1994.

The Courier [Brussels]. January-February 1992 to November-December 1994.

Documentation-Réfugiés [Paris]. January 1993-October 1994.

Edicesa News [Harare]. January-November 1993.

Foreign Broadcasts Information Service (FBIS) Report. January 1993-present.

Human Rights in Developing Countries Yearbook 1994. 1994.

Human Rights World Watch 1994. 1994.

La lettre hebdomadaire de la FIDH [Paris]. January 1993-present.

New Act [Harare]. January 1994-present.

New African [London]. January 1993-present.

West Africa [London]. January 1993-present.

On-line searches and oral sources.