MOSCOW, October 25 (RIA Novosti) - Amnesty International has called on the government of Equatorial Guinea to publish the full details of the amnesty to be granted to political prisoners, the organization said.
"This decree would be an encouraging step for human rights in Equatorial Guinea if it leads to the release of people imprisoned solely for the peaceful exercise of their human rights, but the authorities must be transparent about the details," Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for West and Central Africa Stephen Cockburn said in the statement published Friday.
According to Amnesty, the president of Equatorial Guinea Teodoro Obiang Nguema signed a decree on granting amnesty to those held for political reasons. The decree, however, neither defines what “political crimes” the amnesty will be offered for nor says how many people it will be given to, the organization noted.
“The government must ensure that these prisoners are released immediately and that their families and others are kept informed of all developments,” the organization urged.
According to Amnesty International, the new decree could serve as new grounds for bolstering human rights in Equatorial Guinea, while at the same time eliminating torture and improving conditions of detention.
