Equatorial Guinea’s president has granted pardons to 37 individuals who were detained a year ago following protests on the island of Annobon, where they were accused of separatist activities.
The group was arrested in July last year after demonstrating against environmental damage caused by the use of dynamite in mining and infrastructure projects on the volcanic island, which measures just 17 square kilometres (6.6 square miles) and lies off the coast of Gabon in the Gulf of Guinea.
Authorities accused the protesters of participating in demonstrations and affiliating with the separatist organisation Ambo Legadu (Free Annobon). The detainees were subsequently held at Black Beach prison in the capital, Malabo—a facility Amnesty International has described as notorious.
They faced charges including “insult and defamation,” “abusive exercise of fundamental rights,” and “violation of the constitutional order” in a Malabo court.
Annobon, home to approximately 5,000 residents, became part of Equatorial Guinea upon its independence from Spain in 1968. The Ambo Legadu movement unilaterally proclaimed the island’s independence in July 2022.
Earlier this month, Orlando Cartagena Lagar, leader of the separatists, criticised the government in an interview with AFP, accusing the regime of dictatorship, harsh military repression, and a “slow genocide” marked by shortages of electricity, water, and food. The island is accessible only by private plane or a ferry that runs twice monthly.
The release of the 37 individuals was part of a broader pardon issued on Saturday by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who celebrated his 83rd birthday by pardoning a total of 476 prisoners.
“The President of the Republic pardoned 476 prisoners, including two South Africans convicted of drug trafficking, as well as 37 people involved in the Annobon insurrection,” announced the president’s son and Vice President, Teodoro Nguema Obiang, via X (formerly Twitter).
Equatorial Guinea, heavily dependent on oil and gas exports, has been ruled by Obiang for 45 years, making him the world’s longest-serving non-monarchical head of state.
