Freedom in the World 2001 - Equatorial Guinea

2001 Scores

Status: Not Free
Freedom Rating: 7.0
Civil Liberties: 7
Political Rights: 7

Overview

The pursuit of oil by U.S. companies off the shores of Equatorial Guinea has given the country a higher profile on the world economic stage and appears to have forced President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo to at least take a shallow look inward. The country continues to be ruled by one of Africa's most repressive regimes, but there are indications that Obiang feels some sort of international pressure to at least appear as though he's making reforms.

Equatorial Guinea achieved independence in 1968 following 190 years of Spanish rule. It has since been one of the world's most tightly closed and repressive societies. President Obiang seized power in 1979 by deposing and murdering his uncle, Francisco Macias Nguema. Pressure from donor countries demanding democratic reforms prompted Obiang to proclaim a new "era of pluralism" in January 1992. Political parties were legalized, and multiparty elections announced, but in practice Obiang and his clique wield all power. The right of people to freely elect the country's leaders does not exist.

While municipal elections held in April 2000 were no more credible than previous polls, observers from opposition parties were positioned at some voting stations. Obiang in October reportedly urged Prime Minister Angel Serafin Seriche Dougan to resign for doing too little about corruption. Any serious attempt to hit at corruption would probably bring Obiang under pressure from the ruling elite that has benefited from Equatorial Guinea's income from oil wealth.

Talks are underway to reform the country's labor laws, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been granted access to Equatorial Guinea's prisons, which have a reputation for torture and other ill-treatment. The justice minister and a relative, the son of the country's first president, were reportedly detained on conspiracy charges under murky circumstances in August and September, but were later freed.

Thanks to oil, Equatorial Guinea boasts one of the highest figures for per capita gross domestic product in Africa, but few of the benefits have yet to be felt by the average person. The start of offshore oil production in 1995 helped replace subsistence farming and timber as the economic linchpins. U.S. companies dominate the oil sector. The country is to benefit from a $173 million loan by the U.S. Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) for construction and operation of a methanol plant. It is OPIC's largest-ever loan to a project in sub-Saharan Africa.

Political Rights and Civil Liberties

Equatorial Guinea's citizens are unable to change their government through peaceful, democratic means. The February 1996 presidential election was neither free nor fair, and was marred by official intimidation, a near-total boycott by the political opposition, and very low voter turnout.

The March 1999 parliamentary elections were also marred by intimidation and fraud and were neither free nor fair. Many opposition candidates were arrested or confined to their villages prior to the polls. The ruling Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea (PDGE) won 75 of 80 seats. Led by the Convergence for Social Democracy and the Popular Union, seven opposition parties claimed massive fraud, demanding an annulment, and those that won parliamentary seats refused to take them up. Amnesty International said at least 90 opposition party activists were detained for short periods in 1999. The November 1998 legislative elections for the 85-member House of People's Representatives were also manipulated by the regime.

Opposition parties were widely believed to have won overwhelmingly in September 1995 municipal elections. The regime's official results, released 11 days after balloting, reported an unconvincing but unsurprising landslide victory by the PDGE. Municipal elections held in April 2000 produced similar results. The government announced a turnout of 91 percent and that the ruling party had won 98 percent of the vote. The mechanics of the poll, however, were slightly better than in previous years. Opposition representatives were reportedly present at some polling stations as observers.

President Obiang wields broad decree-making powers and effectively bars public participation in the policymaking process. The November 1991 constitution prohibits the impeachment of the head of state. Opposition parties, while legal, may not be organized on an ethnic, regional, or provincial basis.

With partial exception for members of legalized political parties, freedom of association and assembly is not allowed. Opposition demonstrations without prior authorization were banned in 1993. Authorization must be obtained for any gathering of ten or more people for purposes the government deems political. Freedom of movement is also restricted, as citizens and residents must obtain permission for travel both within the country and abroad.

The judiciary is not independent, and laws on search and seizure, as well as detention, are routinely ignored by security forces, who act with impunity. Civil cases rarely go to trial. A military tribunal handles cases tied to national security. International aid money has been provided for codifying the country's legal provisions. No published gazette of laws exists.

Opposition parties are continually harassed and intimidated, especially outside the capital, Malabo. Amnesty International reported in June that hundreds of political activists had been arrested and held without charge or trial in recent years "for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and assembly." Unlawful arrests, beatings, and torture remain commonplace. There are persistent reports of torture by soldiers and police to extract confessions. Prisons conditions are extremely harsh. The ICRC was eventually granted access to prisoners in December 1999 after repeated attempts.

There are no effective human rights organizations in the country, and the few international nongovernmental organizations operating in Equatorial Guinea are subject to restrictions. The aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) suspended its operations in the country in January 2000, saying the government denied it access to people the agency said were suffering the direct consequences of corruption.

Press freedom is constitutionally guaranteed, but the government restricts those rights in practice. Nearly all print and broadcast media are state-run and tightly controlled. A few small independent newspapers publish occasionally but exercise self-censorship, and all journalists must be registered. Mild criticism of infrastructure and public institutions is allowed, but nothing disparaging about the president or security forces is tolerated. Some underground pamphlets appear irregularly. Few foreign publications are available.

Five people detained in November and December 1999 were sentenced by a military court to up to three years in prison for possessing a two-year-old Amnesty International appeal document, photocopying a Spanish newspaper article, and possessing an opposition newspaper. The court said the material was "of dubious provenance." Authorities in November seized hundreds of copies of the independent weekly, La Opinion, before they were distributed.

About 80 percent of the population is Roman Catholic. Freedom of individual religious practice is generally respected, although President Obiang has warned the clergy against interfering in political affairs. The majority Fang ethnic group actively discriminates against the Bubi and other ethnic minorities. Monopoly political power by the president's Mongomo clan of the Fang ethnic group persists. Differences between the Fang and the Bubi are a major source of political tension that has often erupted into violence. Fang vigilante groups have been allowed to abuse Bubi citizens with impunity.

Unions are permitted by the constitution, but no law enabling their formation has been enacted. Strikes are barred. No labor unions exist, and there is no law on the right to bargain collectively.

Constitutional and legal protections of equality for women are largely ignored. Traditional practices discriminate against women, and few have educational opportunities or participate in the formal economy or government. Violence against women is reportedly widespread. There is no child rights policy.