The defamation trial of Angolan anti-corruption activist Rafael Marques was on Thursday postponed until next month while discussions were underway to negotiate a settlement.
The case, which was brought against Marques by military generals and is being held in camera, was postponed to 14 May.
“We are discussing that the case between me and the generals be resolved amicably,” Marques, who is a journalist and anti-graft activist, told .
“This agreement, which could be announced at the next hearing on 14 May, would permanently close the case, and would show that we are seeking reconciliation.”
Lawyers for the generals did not confirm a possible deal, only saying they needed time to decide on legal and technical issues raised by Marques’s lawyers.
“We will… submit our position in writing to the court for 14 May,” one of the generals’ lawyers told .
Marques stands accused of defaming several military generals after he published a book in 2011 exposing alleged corruption, torture and other rights violations linked to Angola’s lucrative diamond mining industry.
In his book, which was published in Portugal, Marques accused the generals of being behind torture and killings committed by soldiers and private guards hired to protect diamond concessions in the northeastern Lundas region.
The generals, including one of President Jose Eduardo dos Santos’ closest allies, are claiming $1,2 million in damages.
-AFP
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