UN / EQUATORIAL GUINEA

Ambassador Anatolio Ndong Mba of Equatorial Guinea issues a press statement saying that the execution of four men over their alleged involvement in an armed attack on the country's presidential palace last year took place after an "open and public" trial with "all the legal guarantees". UNTV

• Categories: News & Features / News Stories / Unifeed
• Video Length: 00:01:34
• Production Date: 1 September 2010
• Asset Language: Original
• Subject Topical: PEACE AND SECURITY; DISARMAMENT
• Geographic Subject: EQUATORIAL GUINEA
• MAMS Id: U100901c

Description

STORY: UN / EQUATORIAL GUINEA
TRT: 1.32
SOURCE: UNTV
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH/ NATS

DATELINE: 1 SEPTEMBER 2010, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

Shotlist

FILE – RECENT, NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior UN building

1 SEPTEMBER 2010, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, dais
3. Close up, photographer
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Anatolio Ndong Mba, Permanent Representative of Equatorial Guinea to the United Nations:
“The Government of the Republic of Equatorial Guinea through this statement wants to inform the national and international public opinion, that this trial began on August 13 and has been broadcast by national media, having been developed with all the legal guarantees and was open and public in the palace of Banapa, Malabo.”
5. Med shot reporters
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Anatolio Ndong Mba, Permanent Representative of Equatorial Guinea to the United Nations:
“The legislation set out in the constitution, specifically Article 13, subsection A, paragraph 2 of this basic law provides for the application of capital punishment for crimes such as those judged in this court.”
7. Med shot reporters
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Anatolio Ndong Mba, Permanent Representative of Equatorial Guinea to the United Nations:
“It was a military court, a summary one, and the appeal was not allowed, and already the president expressed, you know. Some are saying that these people was abducted from Benin, you will find others are saying from Nigeria, others are saying that they were residing in Cameroon, where were they? In Cameroon, in Nigeria or in Benin? Then because they came back again to Equatorial Guinea, to perpetrate other action, they were captured and judged.”
9. Zoom out, dais

Storyline

Ambassador Anatolio Ndong Mba of Equatorial Guinea today (1 September) defended his Government’s actions relating to the execution of four men over their alleged involvement in an armed attack on the country’s presidential palace last year.

Reading from a prepared statement, Ndong Mba told reporters at United Nations (UN) Headquarters that the alleged perpetrators had been tried “with all the legal guarantees” in an “open and public” trial broadcast by national media.

Three former military officers and one civilian, José Abeso Nsue, Manuel Ndong Anseme, Alipio Ndong Asumu and Jacinto Michá Obiang, were executed after a military trial in which they were found guilty on charges of treason and terrorism.

The statement said that national legislation “provides for the application of capital punishment for crimes such as those judged in this court.”

Regarding concern that the sentence was carried out the same day as it was issued, denying the defendants any possibility of appeal, Ndong Mba said that this was a summary military court “and the appeal was not allowed”.

He also responded to allegations that the suspects had been abducted from Cameroon, Nigeria or Benin, before facing trial in Malabo. He said that they deliberately “came back again to Equatorial Guinea” to perpetrate other attacks, before “they were captured and judged.”

Independent UN human rights experts had voiced serious concern at last weekend’s execution.

Amada Benavides and José-Luis Gomez del Prado of the UN Working Group on the use of mercenaries, who visited Equatorial Guinea in the days before the execution, said they strongly condemned it, noting it follows a summary trial that severely lacked due process.

The two experts noted that Equatorial Guinea, which has important natural resources such as oil, has experienced several coup attempts involving mercenaries, paramilitaries and ex-combatants from neighbouring countries.