{"id":8952,"date":"2020-02-13T16:21:17","date_gmt":"2020-02-13T16:21:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/?p=8952"},"modified":"2021-12-01T12:45:21","modified_gmt":"2021-12-01T12:45:21","slug":"greenpeace-africa-stands-with-jailed-community-leaders-in-kisangani-environmental-criminals-belong-behind-bars-not-people-fighting-for-justice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/africa\/en\/press\/8952\/greenpeace-africa-stands-with-jailed-community-leaders-in-kisangani-environmental-criminals-belong-behind-bars-not-people-fighting-for-justice\/","title":{"rendered":"Greenpeace Africa stands with jailed community leaders in Kisangani: \u201cEnvironmental criminals belong behind bars – not people fighting for justice\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Kinshasa, 13 February 2020 Greenpeace Africa joins a <\/strong>call<\/strong><\/a> for the release of five community leaders from Yalifombo, who will again appear in court next week in Kisangani after their arbitrary arrest last September. The accused are from villages affected by the plantations of Canadian multinational Feronia, whose scandalous practices have been exposed by <\/strong>GRAIN<\/strong><\/a> and <\/strong>Human Rights Watch<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n

\u201cTo protest land grabbing and defend the interest of the community is a basic right and for the victims of Feronia a fundamental imperative of survival. The five local leaders jailed for demanding that the firm respect its social commitments are being held in inhuman conditions. At a previous hearing, their request for release on bail was refused. Greenpeace joins other groups to demand their immediate release and the dropping of all charges,\u201d said Dr. Raoul Monsembula, Central Africa Regional coordinator for Greenpeace at Kinshasa. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s environmental criminals who belong behind bars – not people standing up against injustice,\u201d he said. In 2009, Feronia acquired Plantations et huileries du Congo (PHC) from Unilever, three colonial rubber plantations covering over 100,000 ha. The development banks of Germany, the UK, France and Belgium, among others, actively finance the company. <\/p>\n\n

\u201cThe jailed leaders are demanding that the school, health post, and water pump they were promised by the company be delivered before their lands are integrated into the Lokumete estate,\u201d Dr. Monsembula explains. \u201cGiven that expanding the plantation will accelerate the destruction of the forests that are the communities\u2019 main asset, the infrastructure promised by Feronia is nothing but updated colonialism,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n\n

Contact<\/strong><\/p>\n\n