The European Parliament,

–  having regard to Rules 144(5) and 132(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas since 1979 Equatorial Guinea has been ruled by Teodoro Obiang Nguema’s regime, whose long disregard for, and violation of, human rights has resulted in barbarous acts, such as the persecution of hundreds of political opponents, government critics and human rights defenders;

B.  whereas four members of the Equatoguinean opposition movement Movimiento para la Liberacion de Guinea Ecuatorial Tercera Republic (MLGE3R), namely two dual Spanish and Equatoguinean citizens, Julio Obama Mefuman and Feliciano Efa Mangue, and two Equatoguinean citizens living in Spain, Martín Obiang Ondo Mbasogo and Bienvenido Ndong Ono, were kidnapped in South Sudan in late 2019 and flown to Equatorial Guinea on Teodoro Obiang’s presidential plane;

C.  whereas Obama Mefuman and Efa Mangue were denied consular assistance, tried without guarantees of a fair trial and sentenced in March 2020 in Equatorial Guinea to 60 and 90 years in prison, respectively, on charges of terrorism and participation in an alleged attempted coup against President Obiang in 2017; whereas they were both allegedly tortured repeatedly;

D.  whereas Obama Mefuman died on 15 January 2023 in Mongomo;

1.  Strongly condemns the death of Spanish citizen Obama Mefuman in custody and holds the Equatoguinean dictatorial regime responsible; calls for the repatriation of his body and for the release of the three remaining MLGE3R members; urges Equatorial Guinea to cooperate fully with the Spanish judicial authorities;

2.  Deplores the dictatorial Obiang regime’s systematic and organised strategy of political persecution and repression of political opponents domestically and abroad; strongly condemns the country’s barbaric repression of human rights defenders and its lack of democratic space for political opponents and government critics, which translates into arbitrary detention, harassment, abductions, forced transfers, torture, murders and death sentences;

3.  Demands the immediate and unconditional cessation of the hounding of members of the democratic opposition and the release of political prisoners;

4.  Calls on the authorities in Equatorial Guinea to urgently comply with international human rights law and to ensure that all detainees are protected against torture and ill-treatment, held in humane conditions, judged in fair trials and have access to their families and lawyers;

5.  Urges the Member States and the Commission, in their relations with the Government of Equatorial Guinea, to show the utmost firmness in demanding an end to all political persecution and repression and an independent international inquiry into the death of Obama Mefuman and into the wider situation of political prisoners and human rights defenders; further calls for the suspension of any type of military, police and security cooperation and stresses that any cooperation with the regime must be conditional upon respect for human rights and democratic openness;

6.  Calls for the EU to sanction regime members that have perpetrated human rights violations;

7.  Is extremely concerned about the extra-territorial actions of the Government of Equatorial Guinea, including the targeting and kidnapping of political dissidents who hold citizenship or are resident in third countries, including within the EU; urges the European External Action Service, EUROPOL, EUROJUST and Commission to work closely with Member State investigative and judicial authorities to strengthen protection for EU citizens and those resident in the EU;

8.   Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council, the Commission, EUROPOL, EUROJUST,the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the African Union, the Comunidade dos Países de Língua Portuguesa, the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Government of Equatorial Guinea.