Juan Ecomo Ndong

Last updated
Juan Ecomo Ndong
Nationality Equatoguinean
Occupationpolitical activist
Known for2008 arrest
Political party Progress Party of Equatorial Guinea

Juan Ecomo Ndong is an Equatoguinean political activist currently imprisoned on weapons possession charges. His imprisonment has drawn protest from the US State Department and Amnesty International, the latter of which considers him to be a prisoner of conscience.

Ndong was active with the Progress Party of Equatorial Guinea (PPGE), a banned political party opposing the long-dominant Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea. [1] In mid-April 2008, he was arrested without a warrant. [2] Within a week, fellow PPGE activists Cruz Obiang Ebele, Emiliano Esono Michá, Gumersindo Ramírez Faustino, Gerardo Angüe Mangue, and Bonifacio Nguema Ndong were also arrested. Ndong was held for one months at the police station, turning which time he was allegedly beaten with cables to extract a confession. [2]

In May 2008, the six men were charged with knowledge of a weapons cache in the home of another PPGE activist, Saturnino Ncogo. Ncogo had died in prison on early March in suspicious circumstances. Authorities alleged he had thrown himself from the top bunk of his cell to commit suicide, but relatives received his body in an advanced state of decomposition, and no investigation was ever conducted. [2] According to Amnesty International, the six men were given an unfair trial at which no evidence was presented save the weapons from Ncogo's home and the statements the six had made under duress; in addition, the six defendants alleged that police had altered their statements after the defendants had signed them. [2]

Despite being charged with unrelated crimes, the six were tried alongside Simon Mann, a UK national who had helped to organize a 2004 coup attempt. [3] The six PPGE members were given sentences of one to five years apiece. [2]

The US State Department considers Ndong a political prisoner, and has objected to his continued imprisonment. [1] Amnesty International named him a prisoner of conscience, and has called for his immediate release. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prisoner of conscience</span> Anyone imprisoned for their demographics, beliefs, or the nonviolent expression thereof

A prisoner of conscience (POC) is anyone imprisoned because of their race, sexual orientation, religion, or political views. The term also refers to those who have been imprisoned or persecuted for the nonviolent expression of their conscientiously held beliefs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human rights in Turkmenistan</span> Overview of human rights in Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan's human rights record has been heavily criticized by various countries and scholars worldwide. Standards in education and health declined markedly during the rule of President Saparmurat Niyazov.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Progress Party of Equatorial Guinea</span> Political party in Equatorial Guinea

The Progress Party of Equatorial Guinea is a pro-market, pro-democracy political party in Equatorial Guinea. It was founded in Madrid in 1983 by Severo Moto.

Abdollah Momeni is an Iranian student leader and activist. He became involved in the movement in the July 1999 protests, when large numbers of students across the country protested the abolition of pro-reform newspaper Salam. Abdollah Momeni worked as a longtime spokesman of the Alumni Association of Iran organization, which focuses on enforcement of democracy and human rights protection.

Filep Jacob Semuel Karma was a West Papua independence activist. On 1 December 2004, he helped raise the Morning Star flag at a ceremony in Jayapura, for which he was charged with treason and given a fifteen-year prison sentence. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch protested on his behalf, the former designating him a prisoner of conscience. He was released on 19 November 2015.

Alisher Karamatov is a currently-imprisoned Uzbekistani rural development activist. Amnesty International considers him a prisoner of conscience and named him a 2011 "priority case".

Zaw Htet Ko Ko is a Burmese political activist. In 2008, he was sentenced an 11-year prison sentence for his work with the pro-democracy 88 Generation Students Group, and his detention was criticized by human rights groups including Amnesty International, which named him a prisoner of conscience. He was released in October 2011 in a series of amnesties for political prisoners.

Kartam Joga is an adivasi Indian political activist of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). He was imprisoned in Chhattisgarh on suspicion of participating in the Tarmetla ambush in which 75 members of the Central Reserve Police Force were killed by CPI (Maoist) forces. Amnesty International named him a prisoner of conscience and described the charges against him as "fabricated". He was acquitted at his trial for lack of evidence.

Kondengui Central Prison is a maximum security prison in Yaoundé, Cameroon. It has been the subject of numerous international criticisms for its overcrowding and poor conditions.

Cruz Obiang Ebele is an Equatoguinean political activist currently imprisoned on weapons possession charges. His imprisonment drew protest from the US State Department and Amnesty International, the latter of which designated him a prisoner of conscience.

Emiliano Esono Michá is an Equatoguinean political activist currently imprisoned on weapons possession charges. His imprisonment drew protest from the US State Department and Amnesty International, the latter of which named him a prisoner of conscience.

Gumersindo Ramírez Faustino is an Equatoguinean political activist currently imprisoned on weapons possession charges. His imprisonment has drawn protest from the US State Department and Amnesty International, the latter of which considers him to be a prisoner of conscience.

Gerardo Angüe Mangue is an Equatoguinean political activist currently imprisoned on weapons possession charges. His imprisonment has drawn protest from the US State Department and Amnesty International, the latter of which considers him to be a prisoner of conscience.

The United Arab Emirates Five are five activists who were arrested in April 2011 on charges of breaking United Arab Emirates law of defamation by insulting heads of state, namely UAE president Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, vice president Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and Abu Dhabi crown prince Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan through running an anti-government website that express anti-government views.

Ahmed Abdul Khaleq is a blogger and activist of the stateless Bedoun minority who formerly resided in Ajman in the United Arab Emirates. From April to November 2011, he was imprisoned as one of the UAE Five on charges of insulting United Arab Emirates President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice President Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Amnesty International designated him a prisoner of conscience, and he was released following a presidential pardon. In May 2012, he was rearrested and given a choice between indefinite detention or exile. On 16 July, he left the country for Thailand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human rights in Equatorial Guinea</span>

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."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bahrain health worker trials</span> Series of legal cases in Bahrain

The Bahrain health worker trials were a series of legal cases in which forty-eight doctors, nurses, and dentists faced charges for their actions during the Bahraini uprising of 2011. In September 2011, twenty of the health workers were convicted by a military court of felonies including "stockpiling weapons" and "plotting to overthrow the government". The remaining twenty-eight were charged with misdemeanors and tried separately. The following month, the felony sentences were overturned, and it was announced that the defendants would be retried by a civilian court. Retrials began in March 2012, but were postponed until June 14. Convictions against nine of the defendants were quashed and reduced against another nine. The Court of Cassation upheld the sentences against the remaining nine on 1 October.

Myint Aye is a Burmese democracy activist. In 2002, he co-founded the Human Rights Defenders and Promoters network in Burma. After several imprisonments on charges related to his activism, on 29 November 2008, he was given a life sentence for allegedly planning a bomb attack in Yangon's Shwepyitha Township. Amnesty International described the evidence against him as "fabricated" and designated him a prisoner of conscience. He was released from prison on 19 November 2012, as a gesture of goodwill before a visit by US President Barack Obama.

Yusak Pakage is an Indonesian activist for Papuan independence, best known for his 2005–2010 imprisonment for raising the pro-independence Morning Star flag.

Fabián Nsue Nguema is the most prominent human-rights lawyer in Equatorial Guinea which, under Teodoro Obiang, has been referred to as one of the most repressive regimes in Africa. He is a member of Equatorial Guinea's only legal opposition party, Unión Popular (UP), which frequently denounces human rights violations, and of which he has served as secretary-general. He has defended a number of political prisoners in trials.

References

  1. 1 2 "Equatorial Guinea" (PDF). US State Department . Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Five prisoners of conscience - Imprisoned on politically motivated charges". Amnesty International. 15 October 2010. Archived from the original on 3 September 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
  3. ↑ "Equatorial Guinea". Amnesty International. Archived from the original on 17 December 2010. Retrieved 19 January 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.