Equatorial Guinea

JOHANNESBURG - Equatorial Guinea's government on Tuesday defended the execution of four alleged coup plotters just an hour after they were condemned in a case that Amnesty International called a "pretense of justice." The main opposition coalition described the executions as "political assassinations." The government of the oil-rich but impoverished Central African nation said in a statement that the former military and government officials were given a fair trial in open court.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa - The longtime leader of Equatorial Guinea pledged Monday to make sweeping reforms in transparency and human rights in the country he has ruled for three decades.

DAKAR, Senegal - Equatorial Guinea's president is defending a UNESCO prize that bears his name that has come under intense criticism from rights groups.

JOHANNESBURG - Equatorial Guinea - a violent land of coups, petrodollar wealth and killer poverty - is holding a presidential election Sunday that its leader of 30 years says he will win by more than the 97 percent garnered in the last widely criticized vote.