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Families Say Two Spaniards Jailed in Equatorial Guinea Are Gravely Ill as EU Pressure Escalates

Spain’s Foreign Ministry says the embassy has made 19 visits, with the ambassador seeking medical care, legal access, family contact.

Overview

  • Video technician David Rodríguez Ballesta and administrative worker Javier Marañón Montero were detained on 22 January in a corruption probe tied to a €30 million-plus TDT project and later moved to Black Beach prison.
  • Relatives report incommunicado detention since late May, overcrowded cells, repeated hunger strikes and severe illness, including a 20‑kilogram weight loss for Marañón and a last family-consular contact reported in August.
  • The ministry in Madrid cites ongoing diplomatic efforts and 19 embassy visits since January, while families say only a handful occurred at Black Beach and describe those efforts as ineffective.
  • On 9 October the European Parliament urged review or release and called for fair trial guarantees, medical treatment and legal assistance; Equatorial Guinea’s government responded that the detainees receive humane treatment and fair-trial safeguards.
  • Families have launched a petition surpassing 3,000 signatures as local authorities in Córdoba seek briefings from Spain’s Foreign Ministry and plan a meeting with relatives and the Peñarroya-Pueblonuevo mayor.