Cruz Obiang Ebele is an

Equatoguinean Demographic features of the population of Equatorial Guinea include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. Population According to ...

political activist currently imprisoned on weapons possession charges. His imprisonment drew protest from the

US State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...

and

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

, the latter of which designated him a

prisoner of conscience 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 conscienti ...

. Ebele was active with the

Progress Party of 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. The party leadership has declared a "government in exile" in Spain, with party leade ...

(PPGE), a banned political party opposing the long-dominant

Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea The Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea (, abbreviated PDGE) is the ruling political party in Equatorial Guinea. It was established by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo on 11 October 1987. Prior to 1991, the PDGE was the sole legal pol ...

. He had previously worked that the Moroccan embassy in

Malabo Malabo ( , ; formerly ) is the capital of Equatorial Guinea in the province of Bioko Norte. It is located on the north coast of the island of Bioko (, and as ''Fernando Pó'' by the Europeans). In 2018, the city had a population of approxim ...

, but had been dismissed from the job. On 10 April 2008, he was arrested without a warrant at his brother's house in Malabo. Within a week, fellow PPGE activists

Emiliano Esono Michá 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 cons ...

Gumersindo Ramírez Faustino 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 ...

Juan Ecomo Ndong 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 priso ...

Gerardo Angüe Mangue 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 ...

, and Bonifacio Nguema Ndong were also arrested. Ebele was held for a month at the police station, stating later that he was tortured there by beatings and electric shocks; he also was allegedly hung by his feet from the ceiling. 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. 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. Despite being charged with unrelated crimes, the six were tried alongside

Simon Mann Simon Francis Mann (26 June 1952 – 8 May 2025) was a British officer in the Special Air Service (SAS), and later a mercenary. He trained to be an officer at Sandhurst and was commissioned into the Scots Guards. He later became a member of t ...

, a UK national who had helped to organize a 2004 coup attempt. The six PPGE members were given sentences of one to five years apiece. The US State Department considers Ebele a

political prisoner A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although ...

, and objected to his continued imprisonment. Amnesty International named him a prisoner of conscience and called for his immediate release.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ebele, Cruz Obiang Amnesty International prisoners of conscience held by Equatorial Guinea Equatoguinean activists Equatoguinean prisoners and detainees Living people Year of birth missing (living people)