NEW YORK (May 4, 2026) — The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) celebrates a significant victory in the path to justice for unjustly detained Equatoguinean lawyer and activist Anacleto Micha Ndong Nlang. In response to HRF’s petition, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) issued an official opinion declaring that Ndong Nlang’s detention is arbitrary and violates international law. The WGAD also called for his immediate release and full compensation for the violations he has suffered.
On Jan. 26, 2024, plainclothes security officials violently arrested Ndong Nlang at his home in Malabo without a warrant. The arrest followed his complaint against high-ranking security officials, which exposed the kidnapping and torture he endured during a previous unjust detention from September 2022 to June 2023. After his 2024 arrest, Ndong Nlang was placed in indefinite pretrial detention and charged with slander against a high-ranking official in retaliation for his complaint.
For over four decades, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo has ruled Equatorial Guinea with an iron fist, silencing dissent, imprisoning political opponents, and exploiting the country’s oil wealth while much of the population lives in poverty and lacks basic freedoms. Ndong Nlang, a vocal critic of these abuses, has become a target for repeated detention and harassment to silence his calls for democracy and human rights.
Ndong Nlang has not been seen or heard from since March 22, 2024. In July 2024, a judge informed his lawyers that he had been transferred to Oveng Azem, a remote, maximum-security prison where he is currently being held incommunicado. Known for its brutal conditions, Oveng Azem is frequently used by the regime to isolate political prisoners, cutting them off from their families, lawyers, and the outside world. Given the regime’s previous torture and mistreatment of Ndong Nlang due to his activism, HRF fears his confinement at Oveng Azem is an attempt to subject him to further abuse without external oversight.
“We are encouraged by the WGAD’s ruling,” said HRF International Legal Associate Caitlin Triplett.
“Ndong Nlang’s detention is a clear case of political persecution, and the Working Group has rightly condemned the Equatoguinean regime’s blatant and brutal war on dissent. This opinion is a critical step toward securing his release and ensuring the international community continues to hold authoritarian regimes accountable.”
Ndong Nlang’s case has drawn international attention as a symbol of the broader struggle for democracy and freedom of expression in Equatorial Guinea. HRF will continue to monitor the situation and advocate for both his release and broader human rights reforms in the country.
