AZG Armenian Daily #068, 16/04/2005

Concern

CONDITION OF BLACK BEACH PRISONERS IS ‘NORMAL’

Equatorial Guinean Authorities Assure

The authorities of Equatorial Guinea completely refuted the claims of
Amnesty International that at least 70 prisoners held in Equatorial Guinea’s
Black Beach prison in Malabo are at imminent risk of starving to death.
According to information received by Amnesty International, in the last six
weeks conditions have drastically deteriorated with the authorities halting
the provision of prison food and blocking all contact with families, lawyers
and consular officials.

Many of those detained at Black Beach prison are already extremely weak
because of the torture or ill-treatment they have suffered and because of
chronic illnesses for which they have not received adequate medical
treatment.

“Such near starvation, lack of medical attention and appalling prison
conditions represent a scandalous failure by the Equatorial Guinea
authorities to fulfill their most basic responsibilities under international
law. Unless immediate action is taken, many of those detained at Black Beach
prison will die,” said the Director of Amnesty International’s Africa
Program Kolawole Olaniyan.

Prisoners and detainees are now dependent on food handed to prison guards by
families. This means that the 11 foreign nationals and dozens of Equatorial
Guinean political detainees arrested on the mainland are particularly at
risk of starvation because they do not have families in Malabo to support
them.

The provision of food by the authorities was reportedly reduced from a cup
of rice daily in December 2004, to one or two bread rolls and since the end
of February 2005, provision of any prison food at all has been sporadic.

All those incarcerated are kept inside their cells 24-hours-a-day and the
foreign nationals are also kept with their hands and legs cuffed at all
times.

Radio Liberty quoted the special adviser of this despotic country’s
president as saying that the prisoners get enough food. He suggested the
International Amnesty to go and make sure themselves, as representatives of
the Red Cross did. The adviser said also that the International Amnesty is
attempting to put pressure on authorities in Malabo.

For recollection, 6 Armenian pilots are serving their sentence (14-24 years)
in Black Beach charged with a coup d’etat attempt last November.

The foreign minister of Armenia, Vartan Oskanian, visited our compatriots in
February. Ara Abrahamian, head of the World Armenian Congress, rendered
medical support and $500 to each of them lately.

By Tatoul Hakobian