Pope visiting Equatorial Guinea prison in spotlight after US migrant deportations

MALABO, Equatorial Guinea (AP) — Pope Leo XIV is visiting one of Equatorial Guinea’s notorious prisons Wednesday, drawing attention to human rights abuses that campaigners have denounced for years and especially after the U.S. began deporting third-country migrants here.

Leo’s visit to the prison in Bata, the central African country’s port city, continues the tradition of Pope Francis, who made prison visits a priority of his pontificate. Francis’ aim was to give prisoners hope and to remind them the church was with them, while also shining a spotlight on judicial abuses, overcrowding and other injustices.

The visit caps Leo’s last full day in Africa, rounding out a marathon 11-day, four-nation tour that took him from Algeria in the north to Angola in the south, with Cameroon in between.

He was due to open the day with a Mass in Mongomo, in the far east, before arriving in Bata, the country's most populous city on the coast. Also on the agenda was a moment of prayer at a memorial to victims of a 2021 explosion in a military barracks in Bata that has been blamed on negligence.

The U.N. human rights office in 2022 welcomed the abolition of the death penalty in Equatorial Guinea, but its prisons and justice system overall have been repeatedly faulted by the U.N. and condemned by human rights groups and the U.S. State Department.

In its 2023 report on the country, the U.S. listed a host of abuses: arbitrary or unlawful killings and arrests, political detentions, torture, life-threatening prison conditions and “serious problems” with the independence of the judiciary.

“Amnesty International has serious concerns about the human rights situation in Equatorial Guinea,” said Marta Colomer Aguilera, senior campaigner at Amnesty's West and Central Africa office.

She said torture had been used to extract confessions or to punish, human rights defenders are harassed, and the lack of judicial independence compromised the right to a fair trial.

Equatorial Guinea is led by President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, who has been in power since 1979 and is accused of widespread corruption and authoritarianism.

Equatorial Guinea is also one of several African nations that have been paid millions of dollars in controversial deals with the Trump administration to receive migrants deported from the U.S. to countries other than their own.

AP reporting shows that at least 29 such migrants with no ties to the country have been deported here. They were not sent to the prison in Bata. Some remain in detention in Malabo with restrictions on legal and medical support, while others have been forcibly returned to their countries where they face persecution.

The Equatorial Guinea government has denied rights abuses and hasn’t commented when asked to respond to questions about abuses involving the U.S. migration deportation deal.

Leo, the U.S.-born pope, has criticized the Trump administration’s overall migration deportation policy as “extremely disrespectful.”

On the eve of his prison visit, 70 human rights organizations published an open letter to Leo, urging him to speak out especially about U.S. deportation of migrants here and encourage African nations to not be complicit in the practice.

“These practices circumvent humanitarian protections, expose refugees to detention and coercion, and subject individuals to refoulement, in direct contravention of international law,” they wrote, referring to the legal concept that prohibits countries from sending people to places where their lives or freedoms are at risk.

“The conditions under which these deportations have been carried out have also reflected a very troubling disregard for human life and safety. We call for the intercession of Pope Leo XIV to discourage African countries from being complicit in these violations and instead to protect these individuals,” the groups said.

One of the signatories was EG Justice, which has repeatedly denounced the detention of political prisoners in Equatorial Guinea. The group urged Leo to use his moral authority to speak out about it.

“There are individuals — prisoners of conscience, and human rights activists — in detention whose cases raise serious humanitarian and due process concerns,” said Tutu Alicante, a U.S.-based activist who runs the EG Justice group. “At moments like this, sentence review and a real commitment to reform the judiciary can send a powerful signal of a willingness to turn a page toward justice and reconciliation.”

Alicante said the government had taken “cosmetic steps” in recent months to improve certain detention facilities but he said they were temporary.

"The real test will be whether humane conditions, access to medical care, and basic rights are sustained long after the papal visit concludes,” he said.

Associated Press religion coverage receives support through the AP’s collaboration with The Conversation US, with funding from Lilly Endowment Inc. The AP is solely responsible for this content.

Pope Leo XIV, delivers a speech during his meeting with the staff and patients of the "Jean Pierre Olie" Psychiatric Hospital in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

Faithful wait for the arrival of Pope Leo XIV on the occasion of his meeting with representatives of the world of culture in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, Tuesday, April 21, 2026, on the ninth day of his 11-day pastoral visit to Africa. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

Pope Leo XIV waves to the faithful prior to the start of a meeting with representatives of the world of culture in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, Tuesday, April 21, 2026, on the ninth day of his 11-day pastoral visit to Africa. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

Faithful wait for the arrival of Pope Leo XIV at the airport in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

Pope Leo XIV, flanked by Equatorial Guinea's President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, right, is welcomed by Archbishop Juan Nsue Edjang Mayé, left, and Juan Domingo-Beka Esono Ayang upon his arrival at Malabo International Airport in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Misper Apawu)

SEATTLE (AP) — Seattle Mariners switch-hitting catcher Cal Raleigh has used the same swing since he was nine years old.

Raleigh’s tried and true stroke worked out quite well for him during the 2025 season, one in which he finished runner-up for American League MVP honors and set the single-season record for home runs by a catcher with 60. The 29-year-old’s magnificent season helped the Mariners come within one win of their first World Series berth, and set sky-high expectations heading into 2026.

“I know the swing is good,” Raleigh said. “Really just trying to trust the approach, trust the plan, commit to it every single pitch.”

Like many of his Mariners teammates, though, Raleigh hasn’t hit as well as he would like amid Seattle’s 10-15 start, which includes Tuesday night’s 5-2 loss to the Athletics. Even with a solo home run and a single in the Mariners’ latest defeat, Raleigh is hitting just .177 with a .538 OPS, his lowest since his rookie season.

Twenty-five games into the 2026 season, the Mariners find themselves in fourth place in the AL West, slotted ahead of only the bottom-feeding Houston Astros, who are tied for the most losses in major league baseball at 9-16.

First baseman Josh Naylor, who broke out of his slump last week with two home runs, still has a batting average below the Mendoza line. Julio Rodríguez has heated up considerably the last few weeks, but isn’t hitting for power in a fashion that the Mariners have grown accustomed to.

Seattle entered Tuesday’s game with 23 home runs as a team, good for 15th in the majors, yet only two teams have lower collective batting averages than their .218. The Mariners have taken their walks, but they aren’t driving runners in with clutch hits or home runs.

“I think we’re getting guys on base at a good rate for the most part. I see that,” Raleigh said. “But, I think I’m guilty of this too – you get in those big spots and those big moments and each guy wants to do it.”

Seattle won’t pull itself out of its season-opening quagmire with one win, or one series. It learned that after sweeping the Astros before dropping six of its next eight games.

Even so, Raleigh doesn’t think he is putting too much pressure on himself after a banner year, nor is anybody else.

“We all know that we want to be doing better than we are,” Raleigh said. “But at the same time, it’s not going to help anybody in this room by trying to press and go out there and try to do more and try to be the guy. ... I have faith in this group.”

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb

Seattle Mariners designated hitter Cal Raleigh, facing, greets Randy Arozarena (56) after hitting a solo home run against the Athletics during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Mariners designated hitter Cal Raleigh hits a solo home run against the Athletics during the fifth inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)

Seattle Mariners designated hitter Cal Raleigh jogs home after hitting a solo home run against the Athletics during the fifth inningof a baseball game, Tuesday, April 21, 2026, in Seattle. (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)