According to a Reuters report, Spain’s High Court has concluded its investigation into Equatorial Guinean government minister Carmelo Ovono Obiang regarding the alleged kidnapping and torture of two opposition leaders with Spanish citizenship. The investigation was officially closed on Tuesday.
Obiang, along with two other high-ranking officials, was accused of abducting four members of the Movement for the Liberation of Equatorial Guinea Third Republic (MLGE3R), an opposition group based in Spain. The incident allegedly occurred while the members were on a trip to South Sudan in 2019.
A court document disclosed that the MLGE3R filed a complaint with Spain’s High Court in 2020, claiming that the four individuals – two of whom were Spanish citizens – were flown to Equatorial Guinea on a government plane and subjected to torture. The complaint also indicated that one of the Spanish citizens, Julio Obama, passed away in prison in Equatorial Guinea last year. Additionally, the group alleged that they were surveilled while in Spain.
Despite a request for comment by Reuters, a spokesperson for the Equatorial Guinea government did not respond. However, the government had previously refuted the accusations, deeming them false.
Based on court documents, High Court judge Santiago Pedraz, who was leading the investigation, has decided to conclude the case in light of Equatorial Guinea’s Supreme Court of Justice conducting its own inquiry. Judge Pedraz expressed concern about the lack of impartiality in the proceedings and found no evidence to support the claims made in the complaint.
Teodoro Obiang Nguema, the father of Carmelo Ovono Obiang, has been in power in Equatorial Guinea for 44 years and is the world’s longest-serving president. He has secured all six of his terms with over 90% of the vote, a legitimacy that has been questioned by international observers. Teodoro’s other son, Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, serves as the vice president.
Rights groups have accused President Teodoro Obiang Nguema of suppressing dissent and clamping down on rivals. They claim that protests are largely prohibited, media is heavily controlled, and political opponents are frequently detained and subjected to torture. The government, however, has denied these allegations.
Reporting for this article was contributed by Emma Pinedo, with editing by Inti Landauro, Aislinn Laing, and Alison Williams.
