The authorities in Angola have opened investigations into the circumstances of the death of a doctor while in police custody in the capital, Luanda, the Angolan news agency reports.
Paediatrician Silvio Dala died last week on his way to the hospital after collapsing in a police station, the agency reports quoting the spokesperson of the interior ministry.
Human Rights Watch researcher Zenaida Machado has tweeted that the doctor was arrested for not wearing a face mask inside his car.
She said the death has sparked outrage in the country.
Ministry spokesman Waldemar José is reported as saying that Mr Dala was arrested for violating a presidential decree that made wearing of masks mandatory on public roads and inside vehicles, including private ones.
He said the doctor passed out and hit his head on the floor while waiting for someone known to him to pay the fine.
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