Manuel David Mendes (born 6 May 1962 in

Cazenga Cazenga is a city and the most densely populated of the nine municipalities that make up the province of Luanda, Angola. It has a population of 892,401 (2014 census), with an estimated 1,045,722 in 2019, covering an area of 37 km2. Administrati ...

Luanda Province Luanda is a province of Angola. It used to cover an area of 18,835 km2, and had a population of 6,945,386 at the Census of 16 May 2014. The city of Luanda is the capital of the province and Angola. It serves as the country's primary port, cultur ...

Portuguese Angola In southwestern Africa, Portuguese Angola was a historical Evolution of the Portuguese Empire, colony of the Portuguese Empire (1575–1951), the overseas province Portuguese West Africa of Estado Novo (Portugal), Estado Novo Portugal (1951–1 ...

) is an

Angola Angola, officially the Republic of Angola, is a country on the west-Central Africa, central coast of Southern Africa. It is the second-largest Portuguese-speaking world, Portuguese-speaking (Lusophone) country in both total area and List of c ...

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

human rights activist A human rights defender or human rights activist is a person who, individually or with others, acts to promote or protect human rights. They can be journalists, environmentalists, whistleblowers, trade unionists, lawyers, teachers, housing campai ...

and

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

. He is one of the best-known persons of the Angolan civil society, and is also known as "advocate of the poor" because of his opposition to government corruption. Among other things, Mendes directs the Angolan

human rights Human rights are universally recognized Morality, moral principles or Social norm, norms that establish standards of human behavior and are often protected by both Municipal law, national and international laws. These rights are considered ...

NGO A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an independent, typically nonprofit organization that operates outside government control, though it may get a significant percentage of its funding from government or corporate sources. NGOs often focus ...

''Mãos Livres'' (Free Hands) and due to this is sued by the Angolan government in various corruption cases. For his work and contribution to the Angolan civil society he received the ''Martin Luther King Award'' from the US Embassy in

Luanda Luanda ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Angola, largest city of Angola. It is Angola's primary port, and its major industrial, cultural and urban centre. Located on Angola's northern Atlantic coast, Luanda is Ang ...

. Mendes is married and has seven children.

References

External links

Officiel websitet of NGO ''Mãos Livres''

Angolan sect deaths: “It was a real massacre by the police”
20th-century jurists 21st-century jurists Angolan human rights activists 1962 births Living people Angolan lawyers Angolan politicians {{Humanrights-activist-stub