Black Beach
 Black Beach Prison, 2008 | |
| Location | Bioko, Equatorial Guinea |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 3°45′25″N 8°47′20″E / 3.757°N 8.789°E |
| Security class | Maximum |
| Population | 80 (as of 2007) |
Black Beach (Spanish: Playa Negra), located on the island of Bioko, in the capital city of Malabo in Equatorial Guinea, is one of Africa's most notorious prisons.
Feared reputation
It has a reputation for systematically neglecting and brutalising inmates. Medical treatment is usually denied to inmates and food rations are said to be meagre.[1][2] (The United Nations' Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners requires minimal medical treatment for all prisoners.)
Noted individuals linked with the prison
Former governor
The President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, is a former Governor of Black Beach Prison and his uncle and predecessor, Francisco Macías Nguema, was executed here after he was overthrown in a 1979 coup d'état.
Prisoners
Black Beach holds a number of foreign prisoners sentenced for participating in a 2004 coup d'état attempt against the President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo.[1] These included Simon Mann, the alleged ringleader,[3] until his presidential pardon on 2 November 2009 on humanitarian grounds.
References
- 1 2 Sengupta, Kim (2007-05-11). "Coup plotter faces life in Africa's most notorious jail". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 2007-12-29. Retrieved 2007-06-22.
- ↑ "Donato Ondó Ondó and other detainees in Black Beach prison". Amnesty International. Archived from the original on 2007-06-17. Retrieved 2007-06-22.
- ↑ "Mann in the middle of two African dictators". The First Post. Archived from the original on June 3, 2007. Retrieved 2007-06-22.
External links
- Guillermo Nguema Ela, Donato Ondó Ondó and other detainees in Black Beach prison Amnesty International
- "Inside Black Beach prison, the 'hell hole' awaiting Dog of War Simon Mann". London Evening Standard. 2 June 2007.