Arrests in Gabon condemned

The Rainforest Foundation - UK

Monday January 5, 2009

RFUK CONDEMNS ARREST OF CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVISTS & JOURNALISTS IN GABON AND CALLS FOR THEIR RELEASE

RFUK demands the immediate release of the detained civil rights activists and journalists, arrested without charge by the Gabonese judicial police last Wednesday, five days ago today.

On December 31, the Gabonese judicial police arrested the environmental and civil rights activist Marc Ona Essangui, president of Rainforest Foundation UK’s partner organisation, Brainforest, and coordinator of the Publish What You Pay Coalition in Gabon.

Also arrested was Georges Mpaga, president of the Network of Free Civil Society Organisations for Good Governance in Gabon, (ROLBG), Grégoire Ngbwa Mintsa, a party to a complaint made by Transparency International and the French NGO Sherpa against, among others, the President of Gabon, and Gaston Asseko, technical director of the radio station Sainte Marie.

All four are still being held in custody as of today. No reason has been given for their arrests and they have not been permitted to see a lawyer. In addition to these civil society activists, two journalists were arrested on December 30. One of those was released the next day, but the other, chief editor of the newspaper ‘Tendance’, is still being held without charge. RFUK condemns the arbitrary arrest of these environmental and civil rights campaigners and calls for their immediate release.

According to an eyewitness account by a local journalist, Georges Mpaga and Marc Ona were both arrested at the PWYP offices and taken to the investigation department at the Gendarmerie Nationale offices before being transferred to the offices of the Judicial Police. M Mintsa was arrested at his home.

The French Ambassador to Gabon went in person to the offices of the Judicial Police, but could neither secure the release of the activists and journalists, nor was permitted to see them. Marc Ona also asked for the Human Rights Minister and the Archbishop of Libreville to come and see the conditions in which he is being kept however both were denied access, although his wife has been permitted to bring him food. Marc Ona is wheelchair-bound as a result of polio and needs special facilities.

Marc Ona’s organisation Brainforest, campaigns on human rights issues including rainforest destruction, as well as an ongoing battle with a Gabonese/Chinese mining project threatening to dam the Kongou Falls, Gabon's highest waterfalls, located inside a national park. Marc Ona has championed human and environmental rights in Gabon for many years in the face of numerous difficulties and despite significant risk to himself. This arrest is the latest in a campaign of harassment directed at Marc Ona and represents a culmination of persecution of civil society members.

· In January 2008, the activities of 20 Gabonese NGOs, including Marc Ona’s organisation Brainforest, were suspended. The suspension, which froze the legal status of the Gabonese NGOs and barred them from activity, was reversed following an international outcry.

· In July 2008, Marc Ona, Georges Mpaga and two other civil society leaders were arrested by the Direction General of Research (DGR).
· Since June 2008, Marc Ona has not been able to travel from Gabon:

o In June 2008 he was not permitted to go to New York to a meeting on transparency in Gabon

o In August, Virgin Nigeria refused him access to their flight to Accra, Ghana, where he was due to attend a UN conference on climate change. Virgin Airlines told Marc at the airport that there were no wheelchair facilities available on board, although the flight had been booked on that understanding.

o In October 2008, he was not allowed to leave to attend a meeting in Brazzaville, Congo.

o In November 2008, he was refused permission to travel to Dakar, Senegal, to a World Bank meeting.

RFUK Director Simon Counsell says, “We are extremely concerned about this news. Marc Ona has worked tirelessly for the protection of Gabon's environment and the people whose lives depend on it. Indeed, Marc is one of the few people in Gabon who is prepared to speak out when he sees an injustice. That the Gabonese government is holding him without charge and is not allowing anyone to see him whilst he is in custody is a very grave sign that their respect for the human rights of their own citizens has reached a new low."

RFUK demands the immediate release of the detained civil society members, and urges the government of Gabon to respect due process. RFUK also appeals to the international community, including those governments and other bodies that support the EITI, to call on Gabon to respect the rights of civil society.
ENDS

Notes
Briefly on Gabon: Gabon is a small oil-rich country in Central Africa. More than 80% of Gabon is covered with forest, which contains some 8,000 known plant species (as many as 20% of which are found nowhere else on the planet) as well as almost 200 mammal and 600 bird species. It has been ruled by the same president for over 40 years. Recent official French judicial investigations revealed how the president and his family have bought property worth tens of millions of Euros despite his modest official salary (1). According to the World Bank’s Worldwide Governance Indicators, Gabon demonstrates poor governance and indeed a gradually worsening situation in terms of voice and accountability. (2) Despite a 30-year oil bonanza, the life expectancy and literacy rates in Gabon are no better than those in most poor African nations. Gabon has also been logging its precious tropical rainforests and allowed hundreds of local and foreign operators to log in disregard of its own laws, (3).

http://www.transparency.org/news_room/latest_news/press_releases_nc/2008/2008_12_02_stolen_assets_tifrance
http://info.worldbank.org/governance/wgi/pdf/c79.pdf
http://www.globalforestwatch.org/common/gabon/english/report.pdf