Rights situation has worsened, Rapporteur says

The process of democratisation in Equatorial Guinea has stagnated and the state of human rights in the Central African nation has worsened, according to the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Equatorial Guinea. The Special Rapporteur, Alejandro Artucio, on Tuesday told the Commission on Human Rights in Geneva that Equatorial Guinea continued to ban opposition newspapers and judicial irregularities still occurred. People are still being arrested for their political beliefs and ethnic minorities had been harassed, he said, adding that there was an urgent need to put an end to the activities of agents of the state who violated human rights. The representative of Equatorial Guinea, Maye Nsue Mangue, told the Commission in reply that the country's democracy was not perfect, but any excessive, abrupt changes in society could provoke a chaotic and disastrous situation much more serious than at present. He said his government had called on the international community for technical assistance to strengthen human rights and the establishment of an efficient and transparent judiciary.