According to an article in the Guardian, a court in Angola has jailed 17 young activists on March 28, 2016. The activists were imprisoned for rebelling against the government of José Eduardo dos Santos, after they organized a reading of a US academic’s book.

The activists were arrested in the capital, Luanda, last June after organizing the reading of From Dictatorship to Democracy: A Conceptual Framework for Liberation, by Gene Sharp. The book’s blurb describes it as “a blueprint for non-violent resistance to repressive regimes.”

They were charged with acts of rebellion, allegedly planning mass action of civil disobedience in Luanda and producing fake passports, among other charges. Their sentences ranged from two years and three months to eight years and six months.