Congress calls for the “immediate release” of the two Spaniards imprisoned in Equatorial Guinea

Eduardo González The Foreign Affairs Committee of the Congress approved on Wednesday a non-binding resolution from the People's Parliamentary Group demanding the “direct involvement” of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, to secure the “immediate release” of Javier Marañón Montero and David Rodríguez Ballesta, the two Spanish citizens imprisoned in Equatorial Guinea since January 2025. The text was approved with 23 votes in favor and fourteen abstentions from the Socialist Party (PSOE), which stressed the need to join forces with “the Government’s foreign policy” to free the two Spaniards and lamented the criticism in the resolution of the Ministry’s efforts and the “comparisons” made in the text with other cases, such as the activists from the Gaza flotilla detained by Israel. During his speech in the debate, Carlos Floriano, of the People's Party (PP), recalled that “two of our compatriots are currently in a prison in Equatorial Guinea and have been there since January 25, 2025, in inhumane conditions.” He continued, “These are two Spanish citizens who were detained without justification, without notification of charges, without a reasoned court order, and without access to legal counsel.” “Since then, they have been held in indefinitely without having been formally charged with any crime, without any judicial indictment being filed against them, thus violating all the fundamental rights enshrined in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Equatorial Guinea is a party,” he added. Therefore, he warned, “this Commission must make a firm demand to the Government of Equatorial Guinea, or if you prefer, to the Government of Spain, to do everything possible to ensure that our compatriots are back in our country as soon as possible,” because “there is absolutely nothing that justifies their detention and the inhumane situation they are currently enduring.” For her part, the Socialist Trinidad Argosta asserted that “the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, both through the Embassy in Malabo and its central services, has been working intensively to guarantee effective consular protection and assistance since the moment both David and Javier were detained.” Therefore, she affirmed, “what is requested in this motion is already being done, but it must continue, given that we still do not have either David or Javier back with us.” “I am pleased with the tone that has been maintained by the various spokespeople on this point. In situations as complex as this, consensus is important, so it would be good if we all joined in the Government's foreign policy efforts, especially in these cases where lives may be at stake,” she warned. “Members of the People's Party, we must be very serious and rigorous in our statements, because you know—and you know this because you have governed—that not all comparisons are valid, because each case is unique and requires different actions.” Therefore, she added, “we must continue working from the Ministry to achieve this. We must allow them to work and not question the professionalism, the competence, and the commitment of public employees in embassies and consulates, such as in Venezuela and Guinea, who dedicate themselves with a vocation for service to protecting the rights of Spanish citizens abroad,” she added. “We will continue working so that David and Javier return to their families as soon as possible,” she concluded. In the approved text, the People's Party (PP) laments that “visits by Spanish consular staff have been limited to one every two months, insufficient to monitor the detainees' condition,” and recalls that, in October 2025, the Granada Ombudsman's Office requested greater government involvement to guarantee respect for the human rights of the two Spaniards. “Ultimately, international and consular efforts have been insufficient to date. Equatorial Guinea has refused to provide transparency regarding the situation,” the PP denounces. “The government's inaction contrasts sharply with successful precedents in similar cases, highlighting the urgent need for immediate and visible measures to ensure their rights and their release,” it warns. Therefore, the non-binding resolution calls for “the immediate and direct involvement of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, through direct dialogue with the authorities of Equatorial Guinea, to demand the immediate release of Spanish citizens David Rodríguez and Javier Marañón.” “Until their release,” the statement continues, the Government must “activate all necessary diplomatic and consular instruments to guarantee effective and independent legal assistance, as well as permanent and unrestricted consular access to the detainees.” On May 6, José Manuel Albares met in Madrid with the families and lawyers of Javier Marañón Montero and David Rodríguez Ballesta. According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, staff from the Spanish Embassy in Malabo have visited Javier Marañón Montero and David Rodríguez Ballesta on numerous occasions and are maintaining “numerous contacts with local authorities” to provide the two Spaniards with “proper consular assistance.” The case Javier Marañón and David Rodríguez, employees of a Spanish digital services company in Equatorial Guinea, were arrested in January 2025 in Malabo for allegedly paying illegal commissions to secure a public contract, the Digital Terrestrial Television (DTT) project. They were subsequently transferred to Black Beach Prison in Malabo, without charges, without a reasoned court order, and without access to legal counsel. Following their arrest, the Vice President of the Republic and head of the security apparatus (and Obiang's eldest son), Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue, ordered the complete isolation of both businessmen and prohibited them from any visits, not even from their lawyers or family members. In April 2025, after Guinean authorities installed hidden microphones in one of the prison's visiting rooms to eavesdrop 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." According to their families, Javier Marañón, who suffers from respiratory problems, has lost over 20 kilos and has been at risk on at least two occasions due to his hunger strikes, while David Rodríguez has suffered a worsening of his hypertension. The families of the two detainees have gathered more than 61,000 signatures, which were submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, requesting the government to take action for their release.

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