South African engineers freed after two years in Equatorial Guinea jail

Two South African engineers have been freed after over two years in Equatorial Guinea prison on questionable drug charges. Frik Potgieter and Peter Huxham were arrested in February 2023, faced a lengthy sentence and hefty fine, but were granted a presidential pardon following advocacy efforts. The arrest coincided with the seizure of luxury assets belonging to Equatorial Guinea's Vice-President, prompting calls for intervention by the South African and UK governments. The UN had deemed the engineers' detention unlawful, with their families attributing their release to pressure stemming from the asset seizure incident.