Black Beach was overthrown in a 1979 coup d'état. Black Beach holds a number of foreign prisoners sentenced for participating in a 2004 coup d'état attempt against the President of Equatorial Guinea, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo. These included Simon Mann, the alleged ringleader, until his presidential pardon on 2 November 2009 on humanitarian grounds, and more recently Ramón Esono Ebalé (released in March 2018). Black Beach Black Beach (), located on the island of Bioko, in the capital city of Malabo in Equatorial Guinea, is one of Africa's most notorious prisons. It has a reputation for systematically neglecting and brutalising inmates. Medical
LGBT rights in Equatorial Guinea LGBT rights in Equatorial Guinea Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in Equatorial Guinea may face legal challenges not experienced by non-LGBT residents. Both male and female same-sex sexual activity is legal in Equatorial Guinea, but same-sex couples and households headed by same-sex couples are not eligible for the same legal protections available as opposite-sex couples. Same-sex sexual activity is legal in Equatorial Guinea. Same-sex couples have no legal recognition. There is no protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The U.S. Department of State's 2010 Human Rights Report found that "there are no laws criminalizing