At least 18 young activists were arrested while calling for the release of an activist rapper in Angola on Tuesday, November 3rd.

Luaty Beirão, popularly known as “Ikonoklasta,” was arrested in June and continues to await a trial from his jail cell.  A well known as a critic of Angola’s President Eduardo dos Santos, the country’s ruler since 1979, Ikonoklasta’s song “I Am an Angolan Kamikaze Ready to Strike” became an anthem of pro-democracy protesters in 2011.

He has been charged with “Conspiring to Overthrow the President,” a vague charge frequently used by the Angolan government to silence voices of dissent in art, journalism, and other media.

Luaty Beirão, aka Ikonoklasta, rose to prominence in the 2011 protests against Angola’s dictator Eduardo dos Santos.

A rally was held calling for the release of Beirão and 14 other political prisoners in the coastal city of Lobito on October 31.  Their lawyer, David Mendes, explained that the protestors were charged with “Disturbing Public Order.”

Those arrested are also being held without access to their families or legal counsel.

As for the artist himself, Beirão is still awaiting trial for his alleged conspiracy, for which he has been held for five months.  At the urging of his family, the rapper recently ended a five-week hunger strike.

Numerous international and nongovernmental organizations have criticized Beirão’s arrest. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders on October 23 released an appeal to Angola’s government urging for the release of Beirão and 13 other activists.

The Voice Project has also taken up Ikonoklasta’s case as part of its Imprisoned For Art campaign.

While the protesters were expected to face trial on Friday, no word has yet come of their situation or whether they indeed have come before the court.

You can add your voice in support of Ikonoklasta and the activists imprisoned support of him here.