Former Equatorial Guinea justice minister Ruben Maye Nsue Mangue, who was imprisoned since August 2022 for referring to the country’s leader, Teodoro Obiang Nguema, as a “demon”, has been released following a presidential amnesty.
He was arrested over a viral WhatsApp audio recording in which he called the Central African nation’s leader, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, a “demon… sequestering his people” while calling for a national dialogue.
Mangue disclosed that he had to undergo a thorough health check after release and said he couldn’t see a lawyer or go on trial.
“I was in preventive detention,” Mangue said.
Obiang, 80, won a sixth term in November 2022 with an official 94.9% vote, prompting several countries to doubt the results.
Human rights organisations often criticise him for alleged human rights violations, such as arbitrary detentions, disappearances, and torture.