Gerardo Angüe Mangue is an

Equatoguinean Demographic features of the population of Equatorial Guinea include population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population. Population According to ...

political activist currently imprisoned on weapons possession charges. His imprisonment has drawn protest from the

US State Department The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs o ...

and

Amnesty International Amnesty International (also referred to as Amnesty or AI) is an international non-governmental organization focused on human rights, with its headquarters in the United Kingdom. The organization says that it has more than ten million members a ...

, the latter of which considers him to be a

prisoner of conscience A prisoner of conscience (POC) is anyone imprisoned because of their race, sexual orientation, religion, or political views. The term also refers to those who have been imprisoned or persecuted for the nonviolent expression of their conscienti ...

. Mangue was the secretary to Severo Moto, leader of the

Progress Party of Equatorial Guinea The Progress Party of Equatorial Guinea () is a pro-market, pro-democracy political party in Equatorial Guinea. It was founded in Madrid in 1983 by Severo Moto. The party leadership has declared a "government in exile" in Spain, with party leade ...

(PPGE), a banned political party opposing the long-dominant

Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea The Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea (, abbreviated PDGE) is the ruling political party in Equatorial Guinea. It was established by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo on 11 October 1987. Prior to 1991, the PDGE was the sole legal pol ...

. On 12 March 2008, he was arrested without a warrant, and documents were confiscated from his home. Within the next month, fellow PPGE activists Cruz Obiang Ebele, Emiliano Esono Michá, Juan Ecomo Ndong, Gumersindo Ramírez Faustino, and Bonifacio Nguema Ndong were also arrested. Mangue was held for two months at the police station, where he was allegedly forced to sign a statement under duress. In May 2008, the six men were charged with knowledge of a weapons cache in the home of another PPGE activist, Saturnino Ncogo. Ncogo died in prison on early March under suspicious circumstances. Authorities alleged he had thrown himself from the top bunk of his cell to commit suicide, but relatives received his body in an advanced state of decomposition, and no investigation was ever conducted. According to Amnesty International, the six men were given an unfair trial at which no evidence was presented save the weapons from Ncogo's home and the statements the six had made under duress; in addition, the six defendants alleged that police had altered their statements after the defendants had signed them. Despite being charged with unrelated crimes, the six were tried alongside

Simon Mann Simon Francis Mann (26 June 1952 – 8 May 2025) was a British officer in the Special Air Service (SAS), and later a mercenary. He trained to be an officer at Sandhurst and was commissioned into the Scots Guards. He later became a member of t ...

, a UK national who had helped to organize a 2004 coup attempt. Mann and

Nick du Toit Servaas Nicolas "Nick" du Toit is a former South African arms dealer, former mercenary and former colonel of 32 Battalion and the 5th Reconnaissance Commando. He was implicated in the plot to overthrow Teodoro Obiang of Equatorial Guinea. F ...

were later pardoned, released from jail and repatriated. The six PPGE members were given sentences of one to five years apiece. The

considers Mangue a

political prisoner A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although ...

and has objected to his continued imprisonment. Amnesty International granted him "prisoner of conscience" status and has called for his immediate release.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mangue, Gerardo Angue Amnesty International prisoners of conscience held by Equatorial Guinea Equatoguinean activists Equatoguinean prisoners and detainees Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people)