Washington, DC — EG Justice and other civil society organizations today credited the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's Executive Board for soundly rejecting a petition by the government of Equatorial Guinea to reinstate a prize funded by and named after its president, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. In a decision on May 9, 2011, the Executive Board declined to consider a May 4 request by the Obiang government to reverse its prior decision and award the prize without delay.
UNESCO indefinitely suspended the $3 million UNESCO Obiang Nguema Mbasogo International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences in October 2010 after an unprecedented global outcry seeking its cancellation. Prominent African leaders, Latin American literary figures, Nobel laureates, scientists and public health professionals, press freedom groups, Cano World Press Freedom Prize winners, and rights organizations challenged the prize. They cited a record of corruption, abuse, and restricted press freedom under President Obiang that is well-documented, including by UN reports and foreign government investigations.
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