DRC: Transparency activist Golden Misabiko out of jail

After almost one month in jail, Golden Misabiko, President of the African Association for the Protection of Human Rights in Katanga province (ASADHO/Katanga), has been released on bail on 20 August.

Misabiko was arrested on 24 July by the Congolese intelligence services in Lubumbashi in south-east Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and detained at the Prosecutor's Office [Parquet] in poor conditions on charges of “undermining state security” and “defamation”. After being transferred to the city’s hospital following alarming signs that his health was deteriorating he has been released on bail on 20 August.

The charges against Golden Misabiko relate to a report published by ASADHO/Katanga in early July on the alleged illegal and dangerous exploitation of the Shinkolobwe uranium mine despite its closure by the government in January 2004. The report also criticised the lack of transparency surrounding an agreement between the Congolese government and French nuclear energy giant AREVA on the exploration and exploitation of Congolese uranium signed in March 2009.

Lubumbashi’s public prosecutor has accused Golden Misabiko of “inciting public rebellion against state authorities” and has appealed the court's decision on his provisional release.

Misabiko’s release follows an intense civil society campaign both in the DRC and globally in support of the human rights and transparency advocate.

For more information on the imprisonment of Golden Misabiko click here >