Simon Mann, the British mercenary who was serving time in Zimbabwe for attempting to buy illegal weapons,allegedly to be used in a failed coup plot in Equatorial Guinea, is reported to have been extradited to Equatorial Guinea early Thursday morning.
The 55 year old former British soldier lost an appeal on Wednesday against extradition to the oil-rich West African country. Journalist Peta Thornycroft said Mann's lawyer Jonathan Samkange visited the prison on Thursday, only to be told he had been taken away by the police.
Officials from Equatorial Guinea were waiting with their own plane and took Mann into custody. He is now in prison in the country where he is accused of attempting to overthrow dictator President Teodoro Obiang Nguema.
Thornycroft said Equatorial Guinea is considered to have the worst human rights record on the continent. Five others accused with Mann in the alleged coup plot are already serving time in prisons there. One of them, Nick Dutoit, told relatives when he appeared in court that he had been tortured into confessing. There are concerns that Mann will receive the same brutal treatment.
Mann served 4 years in Chikurubi on the weapons charge. According to Thornycroft he testified that the weapons were to be used in operations in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was never proved that there was a link to the Guinea coup plot.
The extradition order from Equatorial Guinea came through just as Mann had completed serving his sentence in Zimbabwe and was about to be released. Fearing for his security lawyers had applied to the High Court to keep him in Zimbabwe until an appeal was heard. Mann then lost two appeals, the second of which was denied Wednesday. Lawyers had submitted another application when they discovered that Mann had 'disappeared.'
Thornycroft said there was a well choreographed series of decisions that amounted to collusion between judges in Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea.
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Finally Africa is beginning to deal with Mercenaries who for years have been distabilizing the continent. Simon Mann needs to face the death penalty. You can argue all you want about his innocense, but the facts of the case are there. The South African intelligency provided information to the Zimbabwean intelligence which led to Mann's arrest and conviction. Another example of more lies from the so-called independent media ( actually representing UK gov't) Zimbabwe will survive, VAVA Zimbabwe
I totally agreed with you and i think it is a good thing Africa start showing the whole world its respect for its people and show no compromise in dealing with people who put African lives in misery.
You stupid African people. Where do you think you would be today without the white Americans and Europeans????
You'd have zero industry, no South African Mines, no oil industry, nothing.
You've had billions upon billions of dollars, pounds and euros given to you, millions of people saved from starvation.
Obiang & Mugabe are both ruthless brutal dictators and I would love to see the British and American governments send armies to Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea and take over these countries to save the thousands and millions of people that are starved, beaten and killed every year by the corrupt African governments.
You stupid African people. Where do you think you would be today without the white Americans and Europeans????
You'd have zero industry, no South African Mines, no oil industry, nothing.
You've had billions upon billions of dollars, pounds and euros given to you, millions of people saved from starvation.
Obiang & Mugabe are both ruthless brutal dictators and I would love to see the British and American governments send armies to Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Equatorial Guinea and take over these countries to save the thousands and millions of people that are starved, beaten and killed every year by the corrupt African governments.
Obiang murdered his uncle and took over the dictatorship. He stole all the money in the national treasury and deposited a half billion dollars in an american bank.Simon Mann is a pawn.His punishment ie; torture, does not fit the crime. Obiang is a vile dispicable creature. How unfortunate for anyone to think otherwise.
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