CAPE TOWN - Equatorial Guinea former chief justice has appealed to the United States (US) and the United Nations for help after the country’s President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo ordered security forces to hunt him down.
Former chief justice Juan Carlos Ondo Angue told the Voice of America (VOA) news that he was being persecuted for fighting for judicial independence and the separation of powers.
Speaking from his hiding location, he said his life would be at risk if he would get arrested. Angue has been accused of taking part in an alleged coup attempt in 2017.
According to VOA, security forces, acting on the orders of President Mbasogo, went to Angue’s home last week to arrest him without a warrant but was warned in advance and he was able to flee, escaping detention.
He said his ordeal stems from a speech he delivered in 2018 at the funeral of a judge who Angue said had been tortured to death for refusing to take part in a corruption scheme by government officials, VOA reported.
Angue said authorities tried to get him to change his statement, but he refused and was removed from his post as chief justice.
The French based news agency AFP reported the government of Equatorial Guinea accused France, Spain, and the US of obstructing justice, saying their ambassadors obstructed gendarmes from arresting Angue when police arrived at his home last week.
In his appeal for help Monday, Angue told VOA there was no chance of getting a fair trial in Equatorial Guinea, where he said it was common for anyone who disagrees with the president, who has been in power since 1979, to be persecuted and killed.
International human rights groups rank the oil-rich country as one of the most repressive in Africa. Amnesty International says human rights defenders face continued harassment, intimidation, and arbitrary detention.