Equatorial Guinea
Amnesty demands answers on Spanish Equatoguinean cooperation

afrol News, 18 April - One year after the signing of the Cooperation Treaty between the government of Equatorial Guinea and its earlier colonial power, Spain, the human rights group Amnesty International demands answers from the Spanish government whether the treaty contributes to improve the grave human rights situation in the country or not. 

After the holding of a conference by the United Nations' human right commission in Geneva last week, he Spanish department of Amnesty International published a report where it criticises the cooperation treaty and reminds of he grave human rights violations in Equatorial Guinea. According to the group, human rights violations like "torture, deaths in custody, unjust trials, arbitrary detentions and the imprisonment of prisoners of conscience" are day-to-day businesses in the country. 

The UN Geneva meeting, also discussing a UN report on the human rights situation in Equatorial Guinea, provoked a long awaited change in the Equatoguinean position to the country's human rights situation, as afrol News reported last week. 

Prime Minister Cándido Muatetema Rivas, which in person went to the conference, said that many efforts had been initiated to strengthen the human rights situation in Equatorial Guinea, "but they must be followed stronger than ever, because we strongly have put a new mark on the human rights situation in our country in face of the international community." Muatetema Rivas impressed both the UN and the opposition when indicating that his new government would be more open on the country's human rights situation than previous governments had been. 

The new report by Amnesty International was however not softened by Muatetema Rivas' words in Geneva, especially not by his assurance that the political opposition already had achieved more liberties. "The systematic hostile approach and threats towards oppositional politicians continues, as it does towards the Bubi ethnic minority," the report says. "As such, oppositional leaders and activists have been detained for short periods, while frequently being subject to strokes and other abuses. Then, they are given arbitrary fines, or they are set free without charges." 

- Some are put on isolation in their villages, while others are prohibited to return to their villages, the Amnesty report further reads. "The majority of the opposition has been detained for taking part in non-violent political activities, like organising non-authorised meetings, criticise the government or belonging to parties that have not been officially registered." 

Amnesty International states it does not have any objections to the maintenance of cooperation treaties with countries, like Equatorial Guinea, that "commit systematic human rights abuses". However, the group calls upon governments cooperating with such countries to promote and work for the respect of the universal human rights by their partner. 

Based on this reasoning, the group says the Spanish government is obliged to inform the (Spanish) Congress and the public about the human rights impact its cooperation with Equatorial Guinea actually has. The Spanish government in general has been reserved when it comes to commenting its policy towards its ex-colony. 

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