A/HRC/7/10/Add.4 page 13 General Vicar broke into the chapel of São Lourenço and cut short an unauthorized prayer service held by a local catechist. 32. A criminal indictment was initiated against Padre Congo for alleged involvement in the assault of the apostolic administrator Eugenio dal Corso, which reportedly occurred on 18 July 2005. The accusations were not clarified in light of the fact that Padre Congo also alleges that he was assaulted on the same day. It was reported that Padre Congo was “amnestied”, a result which was criticized by defence lawyers who did not have the opportunity to cross examine Eugenio dal Corso after he failed to attend court. Though Padre Congo’s suspension has been lifted, he cannot hold mass or work, having been forced to resign from the university on alleged political grounds. 12 He also reported the frequent presence of police and military around his home whenever he was suspended. He was briefly detained as he drove to a small town south of Cabinda town to attend anniversary celebrations of the (defiant) apostolic movement he had founded, claiming that the reasons for his arrest were political, which the authorities denied. His supporters gathered at the Criminal Investigation Department of the Police and the police fired shots in order to disperse the crowd injuring one person. 33. On 12 July 2007, four men 13 were arrested during a religious mass whilst peacefully protesting against the newly appointed Catholic Bishop of Cabinda. The group of defiant Catholics demonstrated by exhibiting pamphlets and red and black scarves, symbolizing blood and grief. They were holding placards with the slogans “The Church of Cabinda is divided”, “The voice of the people is the voice of God” and “Dom Filomeno does not represent heaven for the believers”. The arrest by Provincial Criminal Investigative Police officers, prosecution and conviction by Cabinda Provincial Criminal Court on 23 July 2007 resulting in suspended sentences of three of these amounted to a clear violation of their right to freedom of religious expression. They were charged under a draconian Colonial era Decree dating from 1911, with “injuria against a public authority” and “inciting violence against a religious authority”. 34. Acts of violence and religious intolerance directed towards the leadership of the Catholic Church and church property include that the apostolic administrator for Cabinda was assaulted on 18 July 2005 by a group of young men inside the church where he was preparing for the morning mass, following which catholic priests stopped holding of São Tomé and Angola (CEAST), which called Mpalabanda “not serious” and made it clear that the vicar had asked the public authorities to protect the church against aggression, but without using violence. It strictly rejected the allegation of collaboration with the political power. The official Church accused members of the afore-mentioned movements of acts of usurpation and profanation and asked for police protection of church premises. In their view, the leaders of the secessionist Catholic movements are responsible for several acts of violence that had occurred recently and called the leaders of Noah’s Ark movement “criminals”. 12 Media reports indicate that the Dean of the university has come under pressure to close this branch of the university. 13 Their names are Pedro Maria Antonio, Paulo Mazungo, André Conde and Domingo Conde.