Equatorial Guinea is known for human rights abuses. Under the current government it has "limited ability of citizens to change their government; increased reports of murders of civilians by security forces; government-sanctioned kidnappings; systematic torture of prisoners and detainees by security forces; life threatening conditions in prisons and detention facilities; impunity; arbitrary arrest and detention and incommunicado detention; harassment and deportation of foreign residents with limited due process; judicial corruption and lack of due process; restrictions on the right to privacy; restrictions on freedom of speech and of the press; restrictions on the rights of assembly, association, and movement; government corruption; violence and discrimination against women; suspected trafficking in persons; discrimination against ethnic minorities; and restrictions on labor rights."
There were multiple irregularities in the 2009 legislative elections, but they were considered an improvement over the flawed 2002 and 2004 elections. There is a cult of personality in Equatorial Guinea around the leader. In order to improve his and Equatorial Guinea's image, long time autocrat Teodoro Obiang hired Racepoint, a global marketing and public relations firm, for $60,000 a year. Transparency International includes Equatorial Guinea as one of its most 12 corrupt states.
Equatorial Guinea also had the death penalty. In September 2022, this was cancelled by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue.
Political prisoners In June 2007 the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention visited Equatorial Guinea and reported that political prisoners are sometimes tried by military rather than civilian courts. Nongovernmental sources cited around 100 prisoners jailed for political reasons, with many held at the notorious Black Beach Prison.
According to parliamentary testimony, on October 6, 2007, Salvador Ndong Nguema, a member of the opposition party Convergence for Social Democracy (CPDS), died from torture in custody of security forces. Two members of the security forces were taken in, but released and assigned to other security duties.
On March 12–13, 2009, Saturnino Ncogo Mbomio, a member of banned political party died in police detention at Evinayong, ostensibly in possession of weapons for a coup. He died from a fractured skull, allegedly gotten in a suicide attempt falling from his bunk bed.
In March 2017, the Centre for Development Studies and Initiatives was ordered to suspend its activities, and its vice president Alfredo Okenve Ndoho was fined 10 million XAF and imprisoned for 16 days.
In September 2017, cartoonist Ramón Esono Ebalé was imprisoned at Black Beach in Malabo for creating work critical of the ruling party in Equatorial Guinea. He was released in March 2018.
Historical situation The chart shows Equatorial Guinea's ratings since 1972 in the Freedom in the World reports, published annually by Freedom House. A rating of 1 is "most free" and 7 is "least free". Historical ratings YearPolitical RightsCivil LibertiesStatusPresident 197266 Not Free Francisco Macías Nguema 197366Not FreeFrancisco Macías Nguema 197466Not FreeFrancisco Macías Nguema 197577Not FreeFrancisco Macías Nguema 197667Not FreeFrancisco Macías Nguema 197777Not FreeFrancisco Macías Nguema 197876Not FreeFrancisco Macías Nguema 197976Not FreeFrancisco Macías Nguema 198076Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 198176Not Free Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 198276Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 198376Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 198476Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 198577Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 198677Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 198777Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 198877Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 198977Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 199077Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 199177Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 199276Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 199377Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 199477Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 199577Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 199677Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 199777Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 199877Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 199977Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 200077Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 200166Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 200276Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 200376Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 200476Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 200576Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 200676Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 200776Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 200877Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 200977Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 201077Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 201177Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 201277Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 201377Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 201477Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 201577Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 201677Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 201777Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 201877Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 201977Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 202077Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 202177Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 202277Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo 202377Not FreeTeodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo
International treaties Equatorial Guinea's stances on international human rights treaties are as follows:
International treaties Treaty Organization Introduced Signed Ratified Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide United Nations1948-- International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination United Nations1966-2002 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights United Nations1966-1987 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights United Nations1966-1987 First Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights United Nations1966-1987 Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity United Nations1968-- International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid United Nations1973-- Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women United Nations1979-1984 Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment United Nations1984-2002 Convention on the Rights of the Child United Nations1989-1992 Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty United Nations1989-- International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families United Nations1990-- Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women United Nations1999-2009 Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict United Nations2000-- Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography United Nations2000-2003 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities United Nations2006-- Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities United Nations2006-- International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance United Nations2006-- Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights United Nations2008-- Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communications Procedure United Nations2011--
See also Human trafficking in Equatorial Guinea Internet censorship and surveillance in Equatorial Guinea LGBT rights in Equatorial Guinea Politics of Equatorial Guinea Censorship in Equatorial Guinea
Notes 1.Note that the "Year" signifies the "Year covered". Therefore the information for the year marked 2008 is from the report published in 2009, and so on. 2.As of January 1. 3.The 1982 report covers the year 1981 and the first half of 1982, and the following 1984 report covers the second half of 1982 and the whole of 1983. In the interest of simplicity, these two aberrant "year and a half" reports have been split into three year-long reports through interpolation.
References
External links 2012 Annual Report , by Amnesty International Freedom in the World 2012 Report, by Freedom House World Report 2012 , by Human Rights Watch