Originally Written: Aug 23, 2022. 3:33pm EST By Divya Puthanveetil
Recently, Equatorial Guinea has been accused of a multitude of human rights violations. With the intention of abating prolific gang violence in the country, Equatorial Guinea has been accused of torture, detentions and forced disappearances, particularly against the young people of the country. President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and his son, Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue began the “crackdown” on May 9, with the idea of showing the younger generation the right path (with one of those paths being the enforcement of a 10-6 curfew). Youth gangs causing this violence, one of the more prominent groups known as “8 Machetes”, triggered what the government calls a “Cleaning Operation”. It is reported that thousands of young men have been arrested under the pretense of gang violence without being given a fair trial and even being forced under forms of maltreatment. Most of the men are reported to have been arrested with arbitrary reasoning. Within one week in May, more than 400 had been arrested and even those under suspicion sent to high security prisons. Police officers refuse visits from relatives and friends and refuse release without proof of innocence or a payment for bail. Many of the relatives of those arrested stated that they were mistreated by the police during the process of the arrest. The family of Ruben, a 21-year-old from Campo-Yaunde, were given information that their son died in prison from breathing issues and anorexia, whilst the family maintained that he had no health problems before being arrested. Equatorial Guinea denied all the accusations, pushing the idea that the government and police were only arresting violators and offering them due process of law, but coverage on the issue remains concerningly low. We cannot go so far as to say that all the young men arrested must be released because it is true that gang violence has been spreading rapidly in the area. We ask for transparency, honesty, and justice under the law when detaining and accusing these offenders.
My name is Kris. I did not write this article, but simply uploaded it in my name. I am a content manager and site admin. Citations: “Equatorial Guinea: 'Cleaning Operation' Tramples on Human Rights, Not Crime.” Amnesty International, August 18, 2022. https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/08/equatorial-guinea-cleaning-operation-tramples-on-human-rights-not-crime/. France-Presse, Agence. “Equatorial Guinea Rejects Allegations of Human Rights Abuses.” The Manila Times. The Manila Times, August 22, 2022. https://www.manilatimes.net/2022/08/22/news/world/equatorial-guinea-rejects-allegations-of-human-rights-abuses/1855436.
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