Translatitio: "The accused will please rise"
All eyes are on the trial of the cartoonist and activist, to be held tomorrow, Tuesday 27 February at 10 a.m. in Malabo Ramon Esono, which will be held tomorrow, Tuesday 27 February at 10 a.m. in Malabo.
Esono is incarcerated in the Black Beach prison in Equatorial Guinea. He was arrested on 16 September 2017 and interrogated for his drawings critical of the government of Teodoro Obiang, although he ended up accused of money laundering and belonging to a money counterfeiting network.
Numerous human rights organisations and NGOs, as well as several artists' collectives, consider the trial to be a farce and demand his acquittal.
Today, from several frontsthe ask for his release.
Here are 47 vignettes from the latest campaign that you can share.
FreeNseRamón permanent campaign website where you can follow the news about Esono's case.
Photo: Paysa Elo Ayeto - More photos of the trial
Update 27/02/2018 . Charges dropped
Good news. From various sources it is confirmed that all charges have been dropped due to lack of evidence. According to activists, the statement of a policeman has been decisive.
Now the final piece of good news is missing, his release. The prosecution has dropped the charges and asked for the case to be dismissed. Now all that remains is for the judge to pass sentence.
Ramón should be released in a few days, possibly before the weekend.
Now we are closer to #FreeNseRamón
Update 07/03/2018. Final sentence and release
If nothing goes wrong he could be released today, Wednesday 7 March.
This has finally happened. Equatoguinean cartoonist and activist Ramon Esono is released from prison and says he is "on a thread of happiness and rage" (EFE Africa)
In a telephone conversation as he left prison, he told EFE that he is now heading to his sisters' house to rest, but that "there are things that will not be forgotten in the long run".
Reminder: 147 activists face death penalty in Equatorial Guinea
Account of the trial of Paysa Elo Ayeto
Case No. 187/2017, sentenced.
Today, 27 February 2018, took place in the Provincial Court of Malabo, the celebration of the oral and public trial of the Sumario nº 187/2017, prosecuted, Ramón NSÉ ESONO EBALE, whose crimes are: counterfeiting of coins and stamps of the state, coming from the Juzgado de Instrucción nº 1 of Malabo.
The hearing, which started two hours late and with no light in the courtroom, was presided over by the presiding magistrate, Sª D. Agustín CHICAMPO BARILA, accompanied by four magistrates, including three women (my congratulations on the 8th of March) and the notorious vacancy of the chair of the magistrate, Sª D. Martin OBIANG ONDO MBASOGO, dismissed and a refugee in Europe after the notorious international terrorist action of the 24th of December in which he is mentioned as a co-author.
The composition of the tribunal was as follows:
The Bureau of the Court
The Public Prosecutor's Office
The lawyers for the defendant, Mr. Ramón NSÉ ESONO EBALE
And the prosecutor, the National Police Corporal attached to the Judicial Police Brigade based at the VICATANA police station, Mr. Trifonio NGUEMA OWONO ABANG.
After the formalities and the reading of Summary No. 187/2017 by the Clerk of the Court, the hearing commenced where the first to intervene was the public prosecutor to evacuate his provisional conclusions and said:
"1.-According to statements taken at the Court of Instruction No. 1 of Malabo, they reveal that, on 22 September 2017 the accused had been arrested in the vicinity of the ALY BABÁ Restaurant, opposite the Ministry of Health in the company of two friends, the reason for his arrest is due to the caricatures made to the authorities and finally, for the wad of one million francs (1,000,000) of counterfeit banknotes found in his possession (car).
2.The facts described above constitute the offence of counterfeiting State coins and stamps as provided for in articles 283, 284 and following of the Penal Code in force.
3.Ramón NSÉ ESONO EBALE is responsible as the perpetrator of the said offence.
4.As regards the circumstances modifying criminal liability, it is noted that the accused could have charged or known premeditation.
5.As for the imposition of the sentence, the Public Prosecutor's Office reserves its position until the interrogation phase.
6.In terms of civil liability arising from the offence, once it has been proven, the accused will be obliged to compensate the State with a sum of twenty million francs (20,000,000) to be paid into the Public Treasury.
After the provisional qualifications had been made, the Public Prosecutor's Office requested the opening of the oral and public trial.
The defence of Mr. Ramon NSÉ ESONO EBALE, composed of three lawyers (Dr. Ponciano MBOMIO NVO, Ms. Maria Jesus BIKENE OBIANG and Mr. Angel OBAMA OBIANG), took the floor and presented to the court table clarification on the subject matter of the trial and reiterated the proceedings presented on 9 October 2017 with the rigistro740/17 to hear the testimony of the prosecution witness and accuser Mr. Trifonio NGUEM OBIANG. Trifonio NGUEM OWONO ABANG, National Police attached to the Judicial Brigade and the diligence of confrontation between the accused and the accuser, a request dismissed in the pre-trial phase with the disappearance of the same in the Autos by the Instructing Judge ; What was the clarification?
The defendants of Mr. Ramon NSÉ ESONO EBALE asked the Court for clarification of the subject matter of the trial; was their client charged with the crime of counterfeiting State coins and stamps or was he being tried for money laundering as was reported in the national media?
The court, after clarifying the object of the trial and admitting the proceedings presented by the lawyers of the accused, moved on to the phase of the provisional qualifications of the defence of Mr. Ramón NSÉ ESONO EBALE.
The representation of Mr. Ramón NSÉ ESONO EBALE we say:
"That, in accordance with Art. 652 of the law of criminal prosecution, we present the following provisional qualifications:
1.We disagree with the Public Prosecutor's Office in this correlative as the facts narrated by our Client have not been perpetrated.
2.--Disagreeing with the Public Prosecutor's Office in this correlative, the facts alleged against our client were not perpetrated and cannot be classified as criminal offences.
3.--Disagreeing with the Public Prosecutor's Office in this correlative, if no crime has been committed, there can be no question of any penalty.
4-Disagreeing with the prosecution in this correlative, one cannot be classified as a perpetrator of the offence for some alleged offences committed.
5. Disagreeing with the Public Prosecutor's Office in this correlative, if there is no offence there can be no question of circumstances modifying criminal liability.
6.We disagree with the Public Prosecutor's Office in this correlative because it has an evasive content, as it does not have any concrete pronouncement on the sentence requested by the Public Prosecutor's Office against our defendant.
7.We disagree with the Public Prosecutor's Office in this correlative, if there is no crime or active participation in the commission of the same, there can be no question of civil liability"
Accordingly, the lawyers of NSÉ ESONO EBALE ask the Court to hold the oral and public hearing.
At the opening of the oral and public hearing, Ramon NSÉ ESONO EBALE pleaded not guilty to the charges against him
while Trifonio NGUEMA OWONO ABANG, simply said that his work was secret and that he could not tell the Court anything, it was embarrassing, for more than an hour, with gestures of arrogance and contempt, Trifonio NGUEMA OWONO ABANG simply said that his work was secret, so much so that he asked the Court to hurry up because he had other occupations,the Court was unusually tolerant towards Trifonio NGUEMA OWONO ABANG until the General Prosecutor of the Provincial Court of Malabo called his attention, reminding him that he was not there as a military man but as a witness, it was curious, the Prosecutor addressed him as a military man and not as a policeman, curious verada? however, Trifonio NGUEMA OWONO ABANG did not get rid of his arrogant and arrogant attitude.
Trifonio NGUEMA OWONO ABANG could not prove to the Court how Ramon NSÉ ESONO EBALE was falsifying money and clung to the secrecy of his work after he accused NSÉ ESONO EBALE and he spent more than five months in one of the worst prisons in the world, Black Beach.
Trifonio NGUEMA OWONO ABANG was unable to give a single detail of the operation that ended with the arrest of three citizens on 22 September 2017, so much so that he told the public prosecutor that he could not remember the details of the operation because his mind was saturated with too many operations, yes, those of us who were there were stunned by the following conclusion, the deputy prosecutor of the Bioko Court, Professor Aurelio ESUBA, told him that he was not telling the truth after having sworn to tell the truth.
In the confrontation phase between the accuser and the accused, Trifonio NGUEMA OWONO ABANG broke down after hearing the loving yet harsh words of Ramon NSÉ ESONO EBALE:
"You are responsible for my having suffered so much, I don't know you, I don't hold a grudge, I know you carry out orders, now I can draw you."
Ramon finished his intervention, the beauty of the words overcame the debased heart of Trifonio NGUEMA OWONO ABANG and he confessed that he was acting on orders from his BOSSES; like a mantra, silence took over the room,
Trifonio NGUEMA OWONO ABANG confessed what was an open secret, everything had been a conspiracy and Trifonio NGUEMA OWONO ABANG a simple executioner, one more victim of the great monster that devours us all, the truth triumphed over Trifonio NGUEMA OWONO ABANG.
In the phase of the final qualifications, the Public Prosecutor's Office asked for the follow-up of Case No. 187/2017 while the lawyers for the defence of Ramon asked for the immediate release of the Activist and Cartoonist Ramon ESÉ ESONO EBALE, the restitution of the damage caused, the reading of the acquittal sentence by the media that spread the infamous news, the destruction of the warehouse of the objects seized from the criminals in the police, which are being used to incriminate innocent citizens and the civil liability arising from the false accusation.
Ramon's defence lawyers reflected aloud on actions such as that of Trifonio NGUEMA OWONO ABANG and we all, with a certain ease, found very recent parallels and said: "when you support, participate in, defend an injustice, do not forget that tomorrow you will be the one begging for justice and by then it will be too late.
It being past two o'clock in the afternoon on the island of Bioko, the Presiding Magistrate, Sª. D. Agustín CHICAPO BARILA decreed SUMMARY JUDGMENT No. 187/2017.
