Dans une prison de Guinée équatoriale, le pape, le déluge et la peinture fraîche
Arriving from the airport, on the edge of a lush virgin forest, the American pope traveled on Wednesday along the road lined with corrugated iron houses and abandoned construction sites leading to the prison. It stands at the end of a paved road, with its salmon-colored walls topped with metal spikes and barbed wire.
In this Spanish-speaking country of 2 million inhabitants, ruled with an iron fist since 1979 by Teodoro Obiang Nguema, regularly accused of human rights abuses and violations of freedom of expression, the papal visit offers the authorities a dream showcase to improve the image of a prison system that has been heavily criticized.
Red carpet, fresh paint, official stage, festive music: the carefully designed setting contrasts sharply with the criticisms from NGOs regarding prison conditions. In a 2023 report, the US State Department reported cases of torture and extreme overcrowding in the country's prisons.
In front of the entrance, facing a watchtower surrounded by a metal walkway on which two agents stand guard, the Minister of Justice, Reginaldo Biyogo Mba, praises to journalists the qualities of the prison and the investment of the authorities "in the service of democracy".
Once through the iron gates of the entrance, a pungent odor floods the inner courtyard, mixing perspiration, urine and humidity.
Standing in rows, dressed in bright orange or khaki green uniforms, some 600 detainees are lined up. Most are young men, mixed with about thirty women. All have shaved heads. Some wear face masks. On their feet, light-colored plastic sandals.
Holding Vatican flags and papal flags, they wait in silence in the stifling heat, under the stern gaze of prison guards in white shirts and black caps. Nothing will be revealed about their past: all interviews are strictly forbidden.
Upon the arrival of the Pope, rhythmic music spilled from the speakers. Immediately, the prisoners broke into a lively song, performing in perfect choreography. On stage, the officials smiled with satisfaction.
Suddenly, a deluge struck, soon flooding the courtyard. Water streamed down faces, soaked uniforms, and gushed from the gutters in cascades. "The rain is a blessing from God!" Leo XIV exclaimed in Spanish, eliciting a unanimous cheer.
"The administration of justice aims to protect society, but to be effective, it must always focus on the dignity and potential of each person," he then stated, before delivering a message of hope and encouragement.
"You are not alone," he told them again.
These remarks represent a very rare denunciation in this closed country where the slightest public word against the State can lead to reprisals.
At the end of the meeting, the prisoners erupted in a collective burst of joy and dancing. They jumped, they hugged each other. "Libertad! Libertad!" they chanted in unison, in what was, without a doubt, the only spontaneous movement of this meeting.
During a mass that same morning in front of some 100,000 people in Mongomo (east), the Pope called for "spaces of freedom to increase, and for the dignity of the human person to always be preserved".
"I am thinking of the prisoners, often forced to live in worrying hygiene and health conditions," he added, reflecting his socially conscious stances that marked his journey in Africa.
Will the papal visit—the first since John Paul II in 1982—trigger a change? Official figures on the prison population in Equatorial Guinea are scarce and often outdated due to extremely restricted access. The Pope is scheduled to depart for Rome at 12:45 PM from Malabo (11:45 AM GMT).
"Hundreds of prisoners end up locked up for years, following trials marred by irregularities, in some of the world's most notorious prisons," Amnesty International estimated in 2021.
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