Cruz Obiang Ebele

Cruz Obiang Ebele is an Equatoguinean political activist currently imprisoned on weapons possession charges. His imprisonment drew protest from the US State Department and Amnesty International, the latter of which designated him a prisoner of conscience.

Ebele was active with the Progress Party of Equatorial Guinea (PPGE), a banned political party opposing the long-dominant Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea. He had previously worked that the Moroccan embassy in Malabo, but had been dismissed from the job. Within a week, fellow PPGE activists Emiliano Esono Michá, Gumersindo Ramírez Faustino, Juan Ecomo Ndong, Gerardo Angüe Mangue, and Bonifacio Nguema Ndong were also arrested. Ebele was held for a month at the police station, stating later that he was tortured there by beatings and electric shocks; he also was allegedly hung by his feet from the ceiling. The six PPGE members were given sentences of one to five years apiece.

The US State Department considers Ebele a political prisoner, and objected to his continued imprisonment. Amnesty International named him a prisoner of conscience and called for his immediate release.