URGENT ACTION

HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER’S WHEREABOUTS UNKNOWN
Anacleto Micha Ndong, an Equatoguinean human rights defender, was sent to the Malabo prison of Black Beach on pre-trial detention on 1 March. He has been accused of outrage and calumny by a gendarme who Anacleto Micha Ndong had accused of torturing him the last time he was detained in Black Beach, in 2023. On 15 April, his lawyer went to Black Beach to visit him when he was told that he cannot see him because he was not there. Since then, no one has seen Anacleto Micha or has received any official confirmation of his whereabouts, in what amounts to an enforced disappearance. According to some sources, he has been transferred to Oveng Ansem prison, where torture is reported to be prevalent. The authorities must immediately disclose Anacleto Micha Ndong’s fate and whereabouts.

TAKE ACTION: WRITE AN APPEAL IN YOUR OWN WORDS OR USE THIS MODEL LETTER

Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo
President of Equatorial Guinea
Palacio Presidencial de Guinea Ecuatorial
Avenida de Libertad,
Malabo, Guinea Equatorial
  X/Twitter - @teonguema (Vice President)
His Excellency,

I am writing to you regarding Equatoguinean human rights defender, Anacleto Micha Ndong, a member of the civic platform, ‘Guinea Ecuatorial también es nuestra’ that opts for non-violent opposition and political dialogue.

On 15 April, Anacleto Micha’s lawyer went to the Malabo prison of Black Beach where he was detained and was told that Anacleto Micha was not there. Anacleto Micha had been sent to Black Beach on 1 March where he was held in pre-trial detention for causing outrage and calumny by a gendarme who works at Black Beach prison, after Anacleto Micha started proceedings against him for allegedly torturing him the last time he was detained at Black Beach, in 2023.

Since 15 April, when his lawyer was not able to see him, there has not been any official information about Anacleto Micha’s whereabouts. According to different sources, he was allegedly transferred with other prisoners to Oveng Ansem prison in Mongomo municipality, in the continental part of the country and more than 400 km away from his home.

Concealing Anacleto Micha’s whereabouts amounts to an enforced disappearance under international law, placing him outside the protection of the law and exposing him especially to the risk of torture and other ill-treatment. Furthermore, Oveng Ansem prison – where it is believed he has been transferred to – has reportedly high rates of torture, which has even led allegedly to the death of some prisoners.

In light of the above, I urge you to immediately disclose Anacleto Micha’s fate and whereabouts, ensuring that wherever he is held he is protected from torture and other ill-treatment, and to take all necessary steps to grant his immediate release from arbitrary detention which stems from his peaceful activism. I further urge you to ensure his allegations of torture are promptly, thoroughly, impartially, independently, transparently and effectively investigated and anyone suspected to be responsible is brought to justice in a fair trial.

Yours sincerely,

Additional information

Anacleto Micha Ndong is an Equatoguinean human rights defender, active on social media, and member of the civic platform Guinea Ecuatorial también es nuestra, that opts for non- violent opposition and political dialogue in the country.
On 26 January, Anacleto Micha was arrested in his house in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea’s capital, by four members of security forces in civilian clothes. Witnesses to his arrest described it as a very violent event. The gendarmerie officers beat him, allegedly put his head in a bucket of water and tore his shirt in front of his children who were crying in panic.
His ongoing detention seems to be motivated by his activism, especially his critical posts against the government on social media, which would make it arbitrary.
After several attempts to meet privately with his client, on 10 April, Anacleto Micha’s lawyer received an official letter authorizing him to visit his client on 15 April at Black Beach prison. That day when the lawyer went to the prison, he was informed that his client was not there because he had left to testify in Court. The lawyer later found out that this was not true and that his client was not at Black Beach prison because, according to unofficial sources, he had been transferred to Oveng Ansem prison. 
Oveng Ansem is a prison in Mongomo municipality with a very concerning record of allegations from prisoners who report having been tortured there. Some prisoners have also allegedly died due to the torture inflicted on them, including Julio Obama Mefuman, member of MLGE3R (Movement for the Liberation of the Third Equatorial Guinea), who died in January 2024. His body was never returned to his family.
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PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: 24 July 2024
Please check with the Amnesty office in your country if you wish to send appeals after the deadline.

NAME AND PRONOUN: Anacleto Micha Ndong (he/his/him)

LINK TO PREVIOUS UA: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/afr24/7794/2024/en/

Additional TARGETS

Teodoro Nguema
Equatorial Guinea Vice-president
X/Twitter: @teonguema

Mrs Maria Jesús Diallo Besari  
(1st Secretary & Chargé d’Affaires)
Embassy of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea
13 Park Place St James' SW1A 1LP
020 7659 9090
visa@egembassy.london
www.embassyofequatorialguinea.co.uk
Monday-Friday 09.30-15.00
Salutation: Your Excellency