EQUATORIAL GUINEA: Journalist released from police detention

New York, November 12, 2003-
Independent journalist Rodrigo Angue Nguema was
released yesterday evening after spending eight days in police custody in
Equatorial Guinea´s capital, Malabo. Angue Nguema works as a correspondent
for the wire service Agence France-Presse (AFP), as well as several other
foreign news organizations, and is one of the only independent journalists
in the country.

Police arrested Angue Nguema on November 3, after an article he wrote for
AFP detailed rumors of an attempted military coup in Equatorial Guinea.
Government officials said that the journalist was detained for questioning
in an ongoing investigation into the origin of the rumors, AFP reported.

Angue Nguema is still being monitored by the authorities and fears that the
government could pursue legal action against him, said his colleagues at
AFP.

Equatorial Guinea has one of the most repressive media environments in
Africa. The state press is dominated by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema
Mbasogo and his ruling Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea. Private
publications appear irregularly, and independent journalists are frequently
harassed. Last year, in spite of having proper accreditation, Angue Nguema
was twice barred from covering the controversial trial of 144 opposition
supporters who had been charged with conspiracy to overthrow the government.

”We welcome Rodrigo Angue Nguema´s release from detention, but he should
never have been arrested in the first place,” said Ann Cooper, executive
director of the Committee to Protect Journalists. ”We call on the
authorities in Equatorial Guinea to ensure that journalists are never
imprisoned for their work.”

CPJ is a New York-based, independent, nonprofit organization that works to
safeguard press freedom worldwide. For more information about press
conditions in Equatorial Guinea, visit www.cpj.org.




Fuente: CPJ

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