1. Home
  2. West Africa
  3. Equatorial Guinea

Guarantee human rights, UN Commission says

The UN Commission on Human Rights on Tuesday urged the government of Equatorial Guinea to adopt quick, effective measures to guarantee the full enjoyment of basic rights.

These include freedom of movement and association; freedom of information, opinion and expression; the rule of law; freedom from torture; the right to justice and the independence of the judiciary. It also urged Equatorial Guinea to ensure that military jurisdiction was not applied to civilians.

According to Amnesty International, some 80 members of Equatorial Guinea's Bubi minority, were sentenced to jail in June 1998 by a military court after being accused of trying to overthrow the government. Many are reportedly still in jail.

The Committee's call came in a resolution (E/CN.4/2000/L.27) on the situation of human rights in Equatorial Guinea and assistance in the field of human rights, that was adopted by consensus.

The Committee welcomed the stated willingness of the government to implement a national human-rights action plan. It also encouraged the government to invite to the country an electoral observer mission for municipal elections to be held in May and decided to renew the mandate of the Special Representative on Equatorial Guinea for another year.


This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

Share this article

Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

Become a member of The New Humanitarian

Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

Join