Malabo – Amnesty International on Thursday accused authorities in Equatorial Guinea of human rights violations including torture, arbitrary detentions and forced disappearances during its crackdown on gang violence.
“Under the pretext of fighting criminality, young people are being arbitrarily arrested and detained, with many facing torture or other ill-treatment, losing their lives, or being forcibly disappeared,” the London-based rights group’s Marta Colomer said.
President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, 80, has ruled Equatorial Guinea with an iron fist for more than 43 years, making him the longest-serving non-monarchic leader in the world.
His son, Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, launched the crackdown on May 9 to “clean” the country’s streets and show young offenders the “right path”. The authorities have imposed a 22:00 to 06:00 curfew.
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Amnesty said thousands of young men have since been arrested across the country.
Colomer said: “The Equatorial Guinean authorities must urgently offer transparent information on deaths in detention and torture and other ill-treatment.
“They must also ensure those suspected of criminality face justice in fair trials before ordinary civilian courts and release all those who have been arbitrarily arrested and detained.”
Amnesty called for an immediate end to the crackdown, saying “it is entirely possible to deal with criminal cases while also respecting human rights”.
The authorities in Equatorial Guinea did not comment when contacted by AFP.
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Source: AFP
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