On arbitrary detention of EU citizens Javier Marañón Montero and David Rodríguez Ballesta in Equatorial Guinea

B100438/2025

Motion for a European Parliament resolution on arbitrary detention of EU citizens Javier Marañón Montero and David Rodríguez Ballesta in Equatorial Guinea

(2025/2904(RSP))

The European Parliament,

having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948,

having regard to Rule 150(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

Whereas the Spanish citizens Javier Marañón Montero and David Rodríguez Ballesta, were arrested in January 2025 in Equatorial Guinea, in connection with illegal commissions related to a Digital Terrestrial Television (TDT) project;

Whereas they have been in pretrial detention since then in the Black Beach prison, which is known for inhumane conditions and serious human rights violations; whereas they have been denied all contact with their families and lawyer;

Whereas Javier Marañón has been on hunger strike for over a month in protest against his isolation, extortion, and humiliation by prison authorities; whereas his health is critical;

whereas the escalating diplomatic tension between Spain and Equatorial Guinea; whereas the Government of Equatorial Guinea accuses the Spanish judiciary of persecuting several members of the Equatorial Guinea government; whereas Spain is conducting multiple judicial proceedings against senior officials of the government of Equatorial Guinea, including Carmelo Ovono Obiang, son of the president, for alleged offenses including torture, kidnapping, and money laundering;

Calls on the Equatorial Guinean authorities to end Javier Marañón Montero and David Rodríguez Ballesta’s prolonged detention without trial and to ensure due process without undue delay before an independent and impartial court;

Calls on the authorities to comply with the legal time limits for holding a person in pre-trial detention; stresses that pre-trial detention should remain exceptional, justified only by necessity and proportionate to the circumstances; highlights that according to the United Nations Human Rights Committee, the right to a speedy trial serves to avoid uncharged people being held for prolonged periods in detention;

Calls on the judicial authorities to uphold and respect its international obligations under the African Commission on Human Rights and People's Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Equatorial Guinea is a party, and notably Article 14 thereof on the right to a fair and timely trial before independent courts of law and based on clear charges and ensuring the respect of the defendants’ rights;

Requests that adequate prison conditions be guaranteed for the detainees, in accordance with international human rights standards and norms of humane treatment, in particular access to proper medical care, sufficient and safe food, appropriate hygiene conditions, communication with their families, and legal assistance, ensuring that their physical and psychological integrity is preserved throughout the entire period of detention;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the EU institutions, Member States, and the Equatorial Guinea authorities.