Statement by the UK at Equatorial Guinea's Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
Thank you Vice President,
The United Kingdom welcomes steps taken by Equatorial Guinea to move away from capital punishment and encourages further concrete, and constitutional, steps towards full abolition (including in military courts) including by satisfying provisions to become a signatory to the Second Optional Protocol to the ICCPR (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights).
We also welcome that Equatorial Guinea accepted a broad range of UPR recommendations from the previous cycle in 2019, especially in regards to strengthening human rights protections for all citizens. However, we remain concerned by limited progression on implementation and call for actionable next steps to be agreed and delivered to implement the accepted recommendations.
We recommend that Equatorial Guinea:
Sign and ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.
Continue to work with the UNFPA and other international organisations to protect and promote the rights of women and girls, including by banning underage marriage.
Take concrete steps to engage with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, including by both responding to recent opinions made by the Working Group and facilitating a visit by them, as accepted in 2019.
