What changed

European Parliament resolution on the arbitrary detention of EU citizens Javier Marañón Montero and David Rodríguez Ballesta in Equatorial Guinea

B100440/2025

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on the arbitrary detention of EU citizens Javier Marañón Montero and David Rodríguez Ballesta in Equatorial Guinea

(2025/2904(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to Rules 150(5) and 136(4)150 of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas Spanish citizens Javier Marañón Montero and David Rodríguez Ballesta were arrested in Malabo in mid-January 2025 in connection with a failed digital television project and were transferred on 7 April 2025 to the Black Beach prison, known for its inhumanefailed conditions€34 andmillion systematicdigital humantelevision rights(TDT) violations;project;

B. whereas Spanish consular requests have been delayed or obstructed and the ambassador has been summoned; whereas the detention of these EU citizens has strained relations between Spain and Equatorial Guinea and raises concerns about the protection of EU citizens abroad;

whereas they have since been held in pretrial detention at Black Beach prison, notorious for torture and inhumane conditions, without verdict or effective judicial safeguards;

C. whereas both men were placed in retaliatory isolation and denied access to their lawyers and families, following the illegal interception of their private conversations with Spanish diplomats;

whereas on 9 April 2025 they were shown publicly before a Malabo judge after months in custody, and Vice-President Teodoro Nguema Obiang ordered the suspension and arrest of prison officers accused of showing them leniency;

D. whereas their health is reportedly seriously deteriorating, particularly Mr Montero, because of a hunger strike;

whereas Mr Marañón Montero launched a hunger strike by July 2025 in protest at his arbitrary detention and degrading conditions; whereas reports describe his health as critical and worsening, amid allegations of humiliation, isolation and denial of adequate medical care;

E. whereas since 1979, Equatorial Guinea has been ruled by Teodoro Obiang Nguema’s regime, widely considered as an authoritarian dictatorship characterised by serious human rights violations;

whereas Spanish consular requests have been delayed or obstructed and the ambassador was summoned for intervening; whereas the detention of these EU citizens has strained relations between Spain and Equatorial Guinea and raises concerns for the protection of Union citizens abroad;

F. whereas international and non-governmental organisations have consistently reported on human rights breaches, including arbitrary detention and imprisonment of foreign nationals, life-threatening conditions in prisons and detention facilities, and violence against and torture of detainees;

whereas the TDT investigation revealed overbilling and corruption implicating presidential family members, while prosecutions focus solely on foreign nationals, shielding regime insiders;

G. whereas systemic corruption ensures that the nation’s immense oil wealth benefits only a small elite, leaving most of the population in extreme poverty;

Strongly condemns the arbitrary detention of Javier Marañón Montero and David Rodríguez Ballesta; deplores the lack of due process and the conditions of their imprisonment; underlines that their prosecution appears politically motivated and aimed at unjustly shifting responsibility away from members of the regime;

1. Strongly condemns the repeated cases of unacceptable detention conditions and ill-treatment of prisoners in Equatorial Guinea; considers them to be a clear international human rights law violation; calls on the authorities to take immediate and unconditional measures, including lifting pretrial detention, to ensure the well-being of Mr Montero and Mr Ballesta and respect for their rights, including the right to a fair trial, access to medical care and legal advice;

Insists that any proceedings respect international fair trial standards and that the detainees be granted full access to their families, independent lawyers and Spanish consular officials;

2. Calls on the Equatoguinean authorities to ensure urgent medical treatment for Mr Marañón Montero receivesand urgentto medicalguarantee treatmenthumane andconditions demandsfor thatall hedetainees, receiveending anpractices urgentof medicalincommunicado evacuation;detention and denial of adequate healthcare;

3. Stresses that arbitrary arrests and detentions damage the country’s reputation, deter international investment and cooperation, and may detrimentally impact its relations with the EU;

Condemns political interference in the judicial process, including actions by the Vice-President, and recalls that separation of powers is a fundamental principle of the rule of law;

4. Calls on the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) and the European External Action Service, in close coordination with the Spanish authorities, to intensify diplomatic efforts regarding their cases;

Urges the Spanish Government and the EU to intensify efforts to secure the detainees fair trial, including through coordinated démarches, high-level engagement and trial monitoring;

5. Expresses serious concern about the subordination of Equatorial Guinea’s judiciary to the regime and the lack of judicial accountability, the ongoing torture and inhumane prison conditions, the continued persecution of political opposition, severe restrictions on freedom of expression, and other human rights violations in the country;

Calls on the VP/HR, Council and Commission to raise this case systematically in EU–Africa relations, at the UN and AU, and to consider targeted sanctions under the EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime against officials responsible; stresses that any cooperation with Equatorial Guinea must be conditioned on respect for human rights, the rule of law and accountability, and deplores systematic impunity for regime insiders despite credible evidence of corruption;

6. Urges Equatorial Guinea to sign the Samoa Agreement;

Recalls the case of Spanish-Equatoguinean citizen Julio Obama Mefuman, who died in custody in 2023, and reiterates concern at the systematic use of arbitrary detention and repression by the Obiang regime;

7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the VP/HR, the authorities ofCouncil, the Kingdom ofCommission, SpainEUROPOL, andEUROJUST, the Republic ofAU, Equatorialthe Guinea,CPLP, the AfricanUN Union,SG and the Secretary-GeneralGovernment of the UnitedEquatorial Nations.Guinea.