A human rights advocate has been detained in Equatorial Guinea for 18 days after helping opposition activists when their party offices came under police siege, according to his lawyer and wife, who spoke to AFP on Thursday.
When approached by AFP over the report, the justice ministry declined to comment.
On September 25, Anacleto Micha Nlang was detained upon his return from the headquarters of the Citizens for Innovation (CI) party. He is a co-founder of the outlawed rights organization “Guinea is also ours.” His wife Montserrat Mikue and attorney Evaristo Nguema Elo confirmed to AFP that he had supplied food to families, including women and children, who were under siege there.
One of the most segregated and autocratic nations in the world is the tiny, Spanish-speaking nation in central Africa. Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the president with the longest tenure in history, has been in charge since 1979.
Equatorial Guinea was ranked 164th out of 180 nations in Reporters Without Borders’ 2021 press freedom rating.
Authorities have increased arrests recently since elections for the presidency, legislature, and local offices are little over a month away. The crackdown has been defended by state media as an effort to thwart an opposition plot that was “foiled” to target embassies, gas stations, and the homes of ministers.
Security officers raided Gabriel Nse Obiang Obono’s residence, which had been used as the party’s office since 2018, on September 30 following a siege that lasted more than a week.
According to authorities, the attack resulted in the deaths of four protestors and one police officer.
Among the 200 persons who had camped out there, including Obono, dozens of people were hurt and more than 150 were taken into custody.
