South Africa – Free Frik and Peter, March 19, 2025
As South Africa marks Human Rights Day on 21 March, the families of Frik Potgieter and Peter Huxham are calling on the government to continue their diplomatic efforts to secure the men’s release from unlawful detention in Equatorial Guinea. At the same time, they are imploring the President of Equatorial Guinea to grant the men clemency.
Human Rights Day in South Africa is dedicated to reflecting on the country’s hard-won freedoms and commitment to justice, peace and human dignity.
Frik and Peter, both South African engineers, have now endured more than two years of arbitrary imprisonment, despite the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) opinion in July 2024 that their detention is both unlawful and arbitrary. The UN called for their immediate release, yet they remain behind bars, their physical and mental health deteriorating, and their families left in anguish.
“This is a day when South Africa reflects on its values of justice, human dignity, and freedom,” say Shaun Murphy and Francois Nigrini, spokespersons for the families. “It is also a moment to ask why two South African citizens remain unlawfully detained, deprived of their fundamental human rights, despite an international request for their immediate release.”
