Black Beach
 | |
| Location | Malabo, Equatorial Guinea |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 3°45′27″N 8°47′15″E / 3.7575722°N 8.7874854°E |
| Status | Operational |
| Security class | Maximum |
| Population | 80 (as of 2007) |
| Opened | 1940s |
Black Beach (Spanish: Playa Negra), located on the island of Bioko, in the capital city of Malabo in Equatorial Guinea, is one of Africa's most notorious prisons.
History
The prison was built in the 1940s during the time of the Spanish colonial rule. At first, common criminals were imprisoned here, but after the independence of the country in 1968 and the establishment of the dictatorship of Francisco Macías Nguema, many political opponents were imprisoned and killed in the prison, including Bonifacio Ondó Edu and Edmundo Bossio.[1]
Reputation
It has a reputation for systematically neglecting and brutalising inmates. Medical treatment is usually denied to inmates and food rations are said to be meager,[2][3] despite the United Nations' Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners requiring minimal medical treatment for all prisoners.
Noted individuals linked with the prison
Former governor
The President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, is a former Governor of Black Beach Prison.
His uncle and predecessor, Francisco Macías Nguema, was imprisoned here after he was overthrown in a 1979 coup d'état, and was subsequently executed by firing squad.
Prisoners
Black Beach has held a number of foreign prisoners, mainly mercenaries sentenced for participating in a 2004 coup d'état attempt against the President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.[2] These included Nick du Toit and alleged ringleader, Simon Mann,[4] until their presidential pardon on 2 and 3 November 2009 respectively, on humanitarian grounds. Ramón Esono Ebalé spent 6 months in Black Beach until he was released in March 2018 after a police officer admitted to falsely accusing him based on orders from his superiors.[5]
Several people have been jailed there in the over 40 years of dictatorship. Among those imprisoned and tortured are many political leaders such as Rafael Upiñalo (Movimiento), Fabián Nsue (UP), Felipe Ondo Obiang (FDR), Martín Puye of Movement for the Self-Determination of Bioko Island (MAIB) or Plácido Micó of the Social Democratic Convergence for Social Democracy (CPDS).
References
- ^ "Edición del domingo, 19 agosto 1979, página 15 - Hemeroteca - Lavanguardia.es".
- ^ a b Sengupta, Kim (11 May 2007). "Coup plotter faces life in Africa's most notorious jail". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 29 December 2007. Retrieved 22 June 2007.
- ^ "Donato Ondó Ondó and other detainees in Black Beach prison". Amnesty International. Archived from the original on 17 June 2007. Retrieved 22 June 2007.
- ^ "Mann in the middle of two African dictators". The First Post. Archived from the original on 3 June 2007. Retrieved 22 June 2007.
- ^ "Ramón Esono Ebalé Released from Prison". CARTOONISTS RIGHTS NETWORK INTERNATIONAL. 7 March 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
External links
- Guillermo Nguema Ela, Donato Ondó Ondó and other detainees in Black Beach prison Amnesty International
- "Inside Black Beach prison, the 'hell hole' awaiting Dog of War Simon Mann". London Evening Standard. 2 June 2007.