<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>Staff at the Spanish Embassy in Malabo have visited Javier Marañón Montero and David Rodríguez Ballesta, the two Spanish citizens arrested in Equatorial Guinea last January on charges of bribery and fraud, on about twenty occasions, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.</strong></h4> "The Spanish Embassy in Malabo has been closely monitoring the case since it became aware of it on January 22," the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in response to a written question from the People's Party (PP) Group in Congress regarding the current situation of the Spanish citizens imprisoned in Equatorial Guinea and the specific steps taken by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs "to provide them with the necessary assistance and ensure that their fundamental rights are respected." "Since that date, the Spanish detainees have received around twenty visits from Embassy staff, while our Representation has taken appropriate steps to ensure visits from their families and medical services when necessary," it added. "In any case, the Spanish Embassy in Malabo will continue its numerous efforts with local authorities to guarantee smooth access to Spanish nationals in order to provide them with appropriate consular assistance," the Ministry continued. "Finally, it is important to emphasize that the Spanish Embassy in Malabo is in close contact with the families of the detainees to keep them informed of developments and the steps being taken," concludes the response, issued on October 8 and published this week. On October 9, the European Parliament plenary session denounced the "arbitrary detention" of two Spaniards in Equatorial Guinea, Javier Marañón Montero and David Rodríguez Ballesta, as well as "the unacceptable conditions of detention and the mistreatment of prisoners" in that country. Javier Marañón Montero and David Rodríguez Ballesta were arrested in Equatorial Guinea last January on charges of bribery and fraud, as part of an investigation opened by the Attorney General's Office into the alleged payment of illegal kickbacks to secure a public contract, the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) project. The two Spaniards were transferred last April to Black Beach prison, "known for its inhumane conditions and systematic violations of human rights," the European Parliament warned. The Parliament also denounced the "arbitrary detention" of the two Spanish citizens and the "unacceptable conditions" in which they have been held since then. It called on the authorities to take immediate and unconditional measures, such as lifting their pretrial detention, to guarantee their well-being and respect for their rights, particularly the right to a fair trial, as well as legal counsel and medical care. Marañón Montero, who is on hunger strike, "must receive urgent treatment," the text emphasized. On a more general level, MEPs expressed concern about "the serious human rights violations in the country, including torture and inhumane prison conditions, as well as the continued persecution of the political opposition and severe restrictions on freedom of expression," and warned of "the subordination of the judiciary" to the regime of Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. Last April, after Guinean authorities installed hidden microphones in one of the prison's visiting rooms to spy on conversations between the two prisoners and Spanish diplomats, the Attorney General, Anatolio Nzang Nguema, called a press conference to demand that the Spanish Embassy in Malabo "respect judicial independence." For his part, the Vice President of the Republic and head of the security apparatus (and Obiang's eldest son), Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, ordered the two businessmen to be placed in complete isolation and prohibited them from receiving any type of visit, not even from their lawyers or family members.
