The trial of 19 people accused of plotting a coup in Equatorial Guinea was suspended indefinitely on Tuesday at the request of the prosecution, the court said.
“The affair has an international dimension, there are inquiries outside the country that are beyond the remit of this tribunal,” said presiding Judge Salvador Ondo Nkumu, adding that therefore he was granting the prosecution’s request.
The trial began a week ago of the 19 men, 14 of them alleged foreign mercenaries, who are accused of planning to topple President Teodoro Obiang Nguema and replace him with an opposition leader living in Spanish exile.
Allegations of torture
Detailing torture and coercion, accused South African mercenaries in Malabo on Monday repudiated purported confessions taken from them in the alleged coup conspiracy.
“I can show marks,” South African Jose Cardoso said, gesturing with his chained hands during Monday’s dramatic testimony. “I’ve been shocked, my human rights have been violated.”
Monday’s testimony marked the first time that torture came up in the trial. The day’s testimony saw all eight South Africans on trial brought before the court in shackles and confronted with confessions they allegedly signed.
Cardoso and others repudiated the documents, saying they are the written statements of interrogators and that their own answers to questions had not been taken down. — Sapa-AFP, Sapa-AP
‘Is it normal to be tortured?’