# Human rights in Equatorial Guinea

Equatorial Guinea is known for human rights abuses. Under the current government it has "limited ability of citizens to change their government; increased reports of unlawful murders of civilians by security forces; government-sanctioned kidnappings; systematic torture of prisoners and detainees by security forces; life threatening conditions in prisons and detention facilities; impunity; arbitrary arrest and detention and incommunicado detention; harassment and deportation of foreign residents with limited due process; judicial corruption and lack of due process; restrictions on the right to privacy; restrictions on freedom of speech and of the press; restrictions on the rights of assembly, association, and movement; government corruption; violence and discrimination against women; suspected trafficking in persons; discrimination against ethnic minorities; and restrictions on labor rights."
There were multiple irregularities in the 2009 legislative elections, but they were considered an improvement over the flawed 2002 and 2004 elections. There is a cult of personality in Equatorial Guinea around the leader. In order to improve his and Equatorial Guinea's image, long time autocrat Teodoro Obiang hired Racepoint, a global marketing and public relations firm, for $60,000 a year. Transparency International includes Equatorial Guinea as one of its most 12 corrupt states.
Equatorial Guinea also had the death penalty. In September 2022, this was cancelled by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue.

## Political prisoners

In June 2007 the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention visited Equatorial Guinea and reported that political prisoners are sometimes tried by military rather than civilian courts. Nongovernmental sources cited around 100 prisoners jailed for political reasons, with many held at the notorious Black Beach Prison.
According to parliamentary testimony, on October 6, 2007, Salvador Ndong Nguema, a member of the opposition party Convergence for Social Democracy (CPDS), died from torture in custody of security forces. Two members of the security forces were taken in, but released and assigned to other security duties.
On March 12–13, 2009, Saturnino Ncogo Mbomio, a member of banned political party died in police detention at Evinayong, ostensibly in possession of weapons for a coup. He died from a fractured skull, allegedly gotten in a suicide attempt falling from his bunk bed.
In March 2017, the Centre for Development Studies and Initiatives was ordered to suspend its activities, and its vice president Alfredo Okenve Ndoho was fined 10 million XAF and imprisoned for 16 days.
In September 2017, cartoonist Ramón Esono Ebalé was imprisoned at Black Beach in Malabo for creating work critical of the ruling party in Equatorial Guinea. He was released in March 2018.

## Historical situation

The chart shows Equatorial Guinea's ratings since 1972 in the Freedom in the World reports, published annually by Freedom House. A rating of 1 is "most free" and 7 is "least free".
Historical ratings :
| Year | Political Rights | Civil Liberties | Status | President |
| 1972 | 6 | 6 | Not Free | Francisco Macías Nguema |
| 1973 | 6 | 6 | Not Free | Francisco Macías Nguema |
| 1974 | 6 | 6 | Not Free | Francisco Macías Nguema |
| 1975 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Francisco Macías Nguema |
| 1976 | 6 | 7 | Not Free | Francisco Macías Nguema |
| 1977 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Francisco Macías Nguema |
| 1978 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Francisco Macías Nguema |
| 1979 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Francisco Macías Nguema |
| 1980 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 1981 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 1982 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 1983 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 1984 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 1985 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 1986 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 1987 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 1988 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 1989 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 1990 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 1991 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 1992 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 1993 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 1994 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 1995 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 1996 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 1997 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 1998 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 1999 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 2000 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 2001 | 6 | 6 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 2002 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 2003 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 2004 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 2005 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 2006 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 2007 | 7 | 6 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 2008 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 2009 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 2010 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 2011 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 2012 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 2013 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 2014 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 2015 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 2016 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 2017 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 2018 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 2019 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 2020 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 2021 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 2022 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |
| 2023 | 7 | 7 | Not Free | Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo |

## International treaties

Equatorial Guinea's stances on international human rights treaties are as follows:
International treaties :
| Treaty | Organization | Introduced | Signed | Ratified |
| Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide | United Nations | 1948 | - | - |
| International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination | United Nations | 1966 | - | 2002 |
| International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights | United Nations | 1966 | - | 1987 |
| International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights | United Nations | 1966 | - | 1987 |
| First Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights | United Nations | 1966 | - | 1987 |
| Convention on the Non-Applicability of Statutory Limitations to War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity | United Nations | 1968 | - | - |
| International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the Crime of Apartheid | United Nations | 1973 | - | - |
| Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women | United Nations | 1979 | - | 1984 |
| Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment | United Nations | 1984 | - | 2002 |
| Convention on the Rights of the Child | United Nations | 1989 | - | 1992 |
| Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, aiming at the abolition of the death penalty | United Nations | 1989 | - | - |
| International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families | United Nations | 1990 | - | - |
| Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women | United Nations | 1999 | - | 2009 |
| Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict | United Nations | 2000 | - | - |
| Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography | United Nations | 2000 | - | 2003 |
| Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities | United Nations | 2006 | - | - |
| Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities | United Nations | 2006 | - | - |
| International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance | United Nations | 2006 | - | - |
| Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights | United Nations | 2008 | - | - |
| Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on a Communications Procedure | United Nations | 2011 | - | - |