A warrant has been issued by the Spanish High Court for the arrest of Equatorial Guinea President’s son, Carmelo Ovono Obiang.
The appeal for his arrest was made by opposition members of the Equatorial Guinea Government, charging two other officials with torture and kidnapping allegations.
The son of the world’s longest-serving president, Teodoro Obiang, and the two senior officials were accused of the abduction of four members of the Movement for the Liberation of Equatorial Guinea Third Republic (MLGE3R).
The opposition group, MLGE3R, based in Spain, were allegedly abducted during a trip to South Sudan in 2019.
A document presented to the High Court in 2020 alleged that the four group members were tortured on a government plane when sent to Equatorial Guinea.
One of the members (all Spanish citizens), Julio Obama, died in a prison in the Central African country last year.
While the Equatorial Guinea government previously rejected the allegations, a police report said the testimonies from victims and witnesses’ statements showed “compelling evidence” of kidnap and torture.
Prior to the issuance of the arrest warrant, Santiago Pedraz of the Spanish High Court had summoned the son of President Obiang, who has ruled the country for 44 years.
The Vice President of Equatorial Guinea Carmelo Ovono Obiang and the other officials however did not show up to testify for the allegations last year.
