Spanish court reopens kidnapping case against Equatorial Guinea president’s son: summary

What we know

• Spain's High Court has accepted an appeal from members of Equatorial Guinea's opposition, instructing a lower court to issue arrest warrants for President Teodoro Obiang's son, Carmelo Ovono Obiang, and two other officials.
• The charges relate to allegations of torture and kidnapping involving the abduction of four members of the Spain-based opposition group, the Movement for the Liberation of Equatorial Guinea, Third Republic (MLGE3R), during a trip to South Sudan in 2019.
• Reuters reports that the accusations date back to the 2019 abduction of opposition group members in South Sudan.
• A police report highlighted "compelling evidence" of kidnapping and torture. The report is based on victims' testimonies and statements from protected witnesses. The evidence adds weight to the allegations against Equatorial Guinea's officials.
• This development comes as the world's longest-serving president, Teodoro Obiang, who has been in power for 44 years, continues to grapple with accusations of human rights abuses and corruption.

What they said

While the spokesperson for the Equatorial Guinea government did not promptly respond to a comment request, the government has consistently refuted the allegations, deeming them false. Meanwhile, a statement by the Spanish court labeled the defendants as "in rebellion," citing their failure to heed court requests for testimony.  "The defendants are in rebellion, having ignored the requests made by the magistrate to appear in court to give evidence as investigated persons, despite having been given the opportunity to testify by video conference," the statement read.