Threats and intimidation on the menu of power in Gabon

Press release (translated from french)

By Coordination of the movement That’s enough!

Since the launch of the campaign That's enough! (Ça suffit comme ça!), July 16, 2011 initiated by the 13 most powerful unions, associations and NGOs to demand Gabon institutional reform and the organization of parliamentary elections in full transparency and their report after the African Cup of Nations that Gabon and Equatorial Guinea are co-organizing in January 2012, an intense campaign to discredit the main actors of this movement is led by the press and the media close to the Presidency of the Gabonese Republic.

Indeed, one of the promoters of this movement, Marc Ona Essangui is systematically denigrated by the websites and newspapers close to the President of Gabon, namely the weekly “La Griffe” (claw) which spends time a month ago all its newspapers numbers talking about this actor of civil society.

As the media campaign was not enough, and convinced of the lack of impact of their articles and documents against these militants for transparency and good governance in Gabon with the population, the authors of this odious campaign come to change strategy by opting for intimidation over the phone and uttering death threats and insults anonymously to the place of Marc Ona Essangui. As proof, August 5, 2011 at 11:15 am an anonymous phone call from the number (241) 726707 covers him with insults and pretends he is a spokesman for the National Union, an opposition party dissolved recently. A few minutes later came another anonymous phone call which became abusive and threatening.

This Thursday, August 11, 2011 between 1:18 p.m. and 2:36 p.m. Libreville time, here is a list of phone numbers used to continue perpetrating operation of all types including threats and insults: (241) 726707, (+241) 726717 (241 ) 726739, (241) 726725, (+241) 726703, (241) 726708 and (241) 735707.

One of the authors of these anonymous phone calls has been unveiled in a note from the newspaper's La Griffe Friday, August 5, 2011, number 452 in these terms: "... In the same day Friday, our editorial sought to apply his conscience to light the lantern of Gabon on his political position in direct, the question was no less direct: Mr. Marc Ona, is that you are an activist of the National Union? ... "Response of the individual:" Nothing shall prevent any citizen to belong to a political party ... "Indeed, the number used this Friday, August 5, 2011 is part of the series of today: 726707 . Does this mean that the paper held by relatives of President Ali Bongo with one of his advisor Raphael Ntoutoume Nkoghe (Justin Lagryphe), uses phone numbers of his administration to prepare and execute the dirty work?

The identification process of these phone numbers, which presumably would come from an administration, a department, institution, the presidency of the republic of Gabon, or a home, is being done by independent services.

Recall that the debate raised by civil society based on democratic and republican principles and the Constitution of the Republic grants citizens the right to participate in public life of his country.

We reaffirm our determination to go all the way to true democracy in our country plundered by an oligarchy in power for 45 years and who is guilty of hijacking the country's resources to the detriment of the great mass of people languishing into poverty, forced to look for food in landfills.

The national and international communities are our witnesses and they should therefore see how Gabon is ruled base on police powers principles, where the ruling party is against all types of opposition and where fundamental freedoms or liberties are violated.

We reserve the right to appeal to all national and international courts to end this practice of another age.

Libreville (Gabon), August 11, 2011

For the Coordination of the movement That's enough!

Marc Ona Essangui

Press Contacts:

Master Paulette Oyane Ondo, Lawyer, Phone: (241) 07 07 16 48 / (241) 06 26 73 12

Georges MPAG, ROLBG: (241) 07 51 99 32

Marc Ona Essangui: (241) 07 29 41 40

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Traduction libre: Citoyen Libre Gabon