A/HRC/13/39/Add.4
face. He said he had previously had problems with the military, and, upon arrival at the
police station, he was identified by one soldier as a known “bandit”. The soldier threatened
him with imprisonment if he did not confess. He was not beaten at the police station. He
subsequently appeared on television together with another young man, where they were
described by soldiers as widely known thieves that lived at the “crossroad of death”. For
one week he was detained at Malabo Central Police Station in a cell with 35 other persons.
During this period he could not shower or leave the cell to go to the toilet, but had to use
plastic bags, which he said were thrown out of the window. He indicated that he did not
receive any water or food from the police, but had to rely on food and water provided by his
family.
Male detainee, foreigner, had been working in Equatorial Guinea for 18 months, when he
came into conflict with his employer because the latter denied to pay him the full promised
salary. In late July 2008, he was arrested by two police officers at his home and brought to
the Judicial Police at Malabo Central Police Station; inside the Judicial Police section he
was tied to a pole in the middle of one of the offices, and flogged 20 times on his back and
buttock with a thick black cable. When he complained about the salary, he was beaten again
by five police officers. He was also suspended for 65 minutes on a stick, which was
hanging on two ropes from the ceiling, with his hands cuffed and his legs tied in front. For
the entire time he was swinging in the suspended position and beaten with the black cable.
The abuse was conducted under the supervision or order of Commissario Fabian, who was
the chief in charge of the crime section. He also said that in Commissario Fabian’s office
(which he described as the office on the right side of the Judicial Police building) he was
electrocuted with car cables tied to his feet and neck to extract a confession. According to
the forensic expert, he carried scars on his right foot that stemmed from open wounds that
had healed without medical treatment.
The detainee also reported that detainees at the Central Police Station could bribe the
officers in charge to receive visits or be allowed outside to get some fresh air. From the
Central Police Station he was transferred to Black Beach Prison, where he had been
detained for the last 4 months. He said he had to share a mattress with four other people. He
reported that he was punished by the Sergeant of Black Beach Prison with 50 strokes on his
back using a police truncheon for trading food for a bar of soap. In addition, he was
punished with two weeks solitary confinement.
The Special Rapporteur recommends that all detainees should be allowed family contact in
accordance with international standards, and the persons held in solitary confinement
should be granted at least one hour per day to exercise outdoors. Furthermore, the Special
Rapporteur urges the Government to remove the leg irons, which cannot be justified by
security concerns.
He also suggested that the prison administration should appoint someone who would
inform the consular representations in Malabo in case one of the foreign prisoners would
fall ill so that they could provide them with medical treatment.
Luba Police Station/Gendarmerie Post
Visited on 13 November 2008
General information: The police station and gendarmerie post were located in the same
building. The Special Rapporteur was received by Florencio Bengobeyi, (Adjunto Judicial
de la Gendarmería) and Pergentino Nsomboso Ndong (Alférez, Lieutenant) as well as
Antonio Ovon Mwe (Commissario Policía). Both disposed of one holding cell. Whereas the
cell of the police was empty, one person was detained in the cell of the gendarmerie. When
the Special Rapporteur arrived, the officers initially attempted to hide the detainee. The
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