In Equatorial Guinea, Placido Miko Abogo, leader of...

In Equatorial Guinea, Placido Miko Abogo, leader of the CPDS [Convergence for Social Democracy], which is one of the country's main opposition parties, was detained in custody on May 10. Abogo was later placed under house arrest, under a committal order by a special magistrate, charged with presiding over the conspiracy trial that was denounced late in May 2001 by authorities of the former Spanish colony in the Gulf of Guinea.
"I am in preventive custody", Abogo told Radio France Internationale. "Rather than remain in the Black Beach Prison, where I spent five hours yesterday evening, by the special grace of the head of state, we were informed of his order that I should be put in preventive custody at my residence, with a policeman stationed at the door, of course."
"The charges against me are threats to state security, assassination attempt against the president, terrorism, and act of sabotage. I am surprised that that the regime could invent a story to indict someone, with such serious accusations that could lead to the death penalty or a 30-year prison term."
"In a way, I was not surprised because I knew that the regime had tried, at all cost, to keep our political party out of the political arena, as well as politically or even physically eliminate some of its leaders."