Urgent Action Victory! Human Rights Defender Released (Equatorial Guinea: UA 15.19)

NO FURTHER ACTION IS REQUESTED. MANY THANKS TO ALL WHO SENT APPEALS.

On 14 February 2020 JoaquĆ­n Elo Ayeto, was released from Black Beach Prison in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, where he had been imprisoned for almost a year. Without any explanation or information, JoaquĆ­n was taken out of the prison and left on the street without a phone or any money.

The release took place following a meeting on the same day of the Secretary General of the Convergence for Social Democracy Party, and other members of the opposition party of which JoaquĆ­n is a member, with Teodoro Obiang, President of Equatorial Guinea. In that meeting the President gave the order to release JoaquĆ­n.

JoaquĆ­n Elo Ayeto was arrested at his home on 25 February 2019, accused of having information on a plot to kill the president. JoaquĆ­n was tried for defamation and threats against the President on 21 November 2019. His sentence was never read.

Despite his imprisonment JoaquĆ­n Elo Ayeto is determined to carry on with his human right work: ā€œNow that I am free Iā€™m going to carry on doing the work that I used to do before. I can see that the country is in a much worst situation than a year ago when I was detained. The economic crisis is worst, the government continues without giving information to its citizensā€¦ā€

Following his release, JoaquĆ­n Elo Ayeto shared the following message with Amnesty International: ā€œI have been told of the work that you have done for me and I want to thank the titanic effort by Amnesty International that has resulted in my release. I want to thank all the work that has been done to achieve my releaseā€.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES