Gabon: Is racism preventing human rights activists from fighting abuses in Gabon?

The Citizens of Gabon urge Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Human Rights Campaign, Freedom House, Reporters Without Borders, International Advocacy, Human Rights in Africa, Human Rights First, Amnesty International USA, the World Organization for Human Rights USA and the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR) to speak powerfully to the Bongo Regime about the duty of all governments to respect the fundamental human rights of women and men. Furthermore, we urge you to persuade the Bongo Regime to stop it routine of taking citizens away from their loved ones and jailing them, torturing them, or denying them their freedom because of a serene expression of their values and opinions.

Gabon has pledged to achieve, in co-operation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms, the record of the Bongo Regime is a testimony to its repeated injustice and human rights abuses, all related to the existence in Gabon of a boundless oppressive system. We are certain that you are well aware of the violations of Articles 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 12, 13, 19, 20, 21, 23 and 25 of the UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS in Gabon. For instance, systematic torture against protesters arrested remains a serious problem; to this point evidence demonstrates that torture is routinely used by security forces. A Human Rights report on Gabon from U.S. Department of State charged Gabon’s national police forces with “torture by water immersion, electrical shock, and tobacco poisoning” as well as forcing prisoners to wear leg irons for long periods without medical attention, and other human rights violations.

According to Pierre Pean (Affaires africaines), under Omar Bongo’s leadership, any Gabonese who was named as a minister in the government must first travel to Franceville, in the president Bongo’s natal region of Haut-Ogoue, to be initiated in the “Ndjobi Cult”. Although shrouded in the secrecy, one aspect of the ritual initiation that has been unveiled was for president Bongo to wash his feet in a basin of water and then have the minister-delegate drink its contents. “The initiated was then held to the utmost secrecy” writes Pean, “the breaking of which will be punishable by death.” This kind of evil behavior reveals the Bongo Regime’s ruthless side, which has helped it to keep its opponents, if not completely silent, then at least cautious of their words. This is a violation to Article 5 of the UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS which states “No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.” You should advise the Bongo regime to revise this policy, and put in place methods whereby alleged incidents of torture are without fail excluded.

The Citizens of Gabon know that the Bongo regime is a valued partner of the United States, France and China but we also know that Human rights promoters can help stop human rights abuses in Gabon by mobilizing its members and supporters to put pressure on the government, armed groups, companies and intergovernmental bodies. The Citizens of Gabon know this because, time after time, Human Rights defenders have a long record of persuading governments to change their laws and practices.



The Bongo Regime’s dreadful partnership with France, the United States of America, China and the United Nations should not justify Human Rights Activists’ mind-set towards a despotic regime whose political ideology is opposed to everything they fight for. Therefore, the Citizens of Gabon, appeal to the very organizations meant to protect human rights, to request a deployment of supporters, members and activists to help reinforce the defense of human rights in Gabon. The Citizens of Gabon urge the candid world to pay attention to what is happening in Gabon as we speak before Gabon becomes another Sudan or Rwanda.



The following ARTICLES of the UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS have been violated in Gabon:

Article 4 - No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms.

Article 5 - No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 7 - All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

Article 8 - Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.

Article 9 - No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile.

Article 12 - No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

Article 13 -

(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state.

(2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country.

Article 18 - Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Article 19 - Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.

Article 20 -

(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association.

(2) No one may be compelled to belong to an association.

Article 21 -

(1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives.

(2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country.

(3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures.

Article 23 -

(1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment.

(2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work.

(3) Everyone who works has the right to just and favourable remuneration ensuring for himself and his family an existence worthy of human dignity, and supplemented, if necessary, by other means of social protection.

(4) Everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his interests.

Article 25 -

(1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.

(2) Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.