GABON DETAINEES RELEASED UNDER PROVISIONAL FREEDOM AS CHARGES REMAIN

Last night at around 7pm, the Court of Libreville released the five human rights and environmental activists who have been detained since 31st December 2008. They are Marc Ona Essangui, president of Rainforest Foundation UK's partner organisation, Brainforest; 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; Gaston Asseko, technical director of the radio station Sainte Marie, and chief editor of the newspaper ‘Tendance', Dieudonné Koungou under "provisional freedom". However, the charges against them have not been dropped. Speculation is rife that President Bongo himself personally requested their release because of the bad global publicity surrounding the case. While the Rainforest Foundation UK is delighted with the fact that they have been released, it is imperative that pressure is maintained on the Gabonese government to ensure all charges against the accused group are dismissed.

Simon Counsell, Director of the Rainforest Foundation UK says: "We urge the international community to help ensure that proper standards of respect for rights are maintained and to demand that the harassment of Gabonese environmental, human rights and anti-corruption campaigners, which has now been ongoing for some time, comes to an immediate end."

While the group are not yet going to make any public statements, the Rainforest Foundation UK has heard from Marc Ona's family that he is in good spirits and health, although needs a lot of rest. There is obviously an ongoing concern from Marc Ona's family and organisations around the world for his and his colleagues' security and that this campaign of harassment from the Gabonese government will continue now that his has been released from prison.

The Rainforest Foundation UK demands the immediate dismissal of all charges against the group, and calls on the government of Gabon to respect the rights of civil society and human rights in general by ceasing any persecution of those calling on transparency from their regime.