In August, Ana da Silva Miguel, popularly known by her TikTok name Neth Nahara was sentenced to six months in prison, but an appeals court felt that was too light and increased it to two years.
According to local media, Miguel accused the president of “anarchy and disorganisation” on her TikTok account.
She also blamed the president for the state’s lack of schools, housing, and unemployment rate in the oil-rich southern African country, local media reported.
The local media further noted that President Lourenço was re-elected for a second term last August in a hotly contested election that marked the continuation of the MPLA party’s long-standing rule.
The ruling party has maintained its hold on power since Angola achieved independence in 1975 and is accused of leading a repressive regime.
Miguel’s insulting statements against the president, as well as her enormous effect on public opinion, were cited as causes for the stiffer sentence by the appeals court in the capital, Luanda.
Despite her request for leniency as a first-time offender and mother of young children who regretted her comments, the court denied her request and sentenced her to pay President Lourenço $1,200 (£1,000) in restitution for “damage” to his reputation.
Judge Salomão Raimundo Kulanda described the president as “sovereign”, and said TikToker was aware of this.
Miguel has over 230,000 Tiktok followers, and hundreds of people viewed the video, according to local media.
Her attorney informed the Portuguese news agency, Lusa, that the verdict was final and that this was the first instance of someone being found guilty in Angola for posting something on TikTok.
The state prosecutor had requested a heavier sentence, arguing that Miguel was likely to re-post similar content on social media and that the initial six-month sentence was too “benevolent”.
