Joseph Melloh uncovering the bushmeat trade in Central Africa
Ex-poacher turned conservationist Joseph Melloh was released
today from a Congolese prison where he had been detained for three
months following an investigation of the area of forests logged by
Swiss-German logging company, Congolaise Industrielle du Bois
(CIB). During today's sentencing hearing in Brazzaville, the judge
sentenced Melloh to 45 days in jail - all of which he has already
served.
Greenpeace, along with Swiss photographer Karl Ammann, had
campaigned for Melloh's release. Greenpeace co-financed Joseph's
visit to Pokola together with the German ENGO Rettet den
Regenwald.
"Joseph Melloh's investigation was aimed at contributing to
forest law enforcement in the Congo," said Filip Verbelen,
Greenpeace Forest Campaigner. "But in fact the law turned against
him, condemning him to three months in prison on a charge that was
unfounded."
Melloh, who has become a leading figure in uncovering the
illegal bushmeat trade in Central Africa, was arrested on May 14th
in the Congolese logging town of Pokola. He was picked up by the
police for conducting interviews with residents of Pokola and for
filming CIB forestry operations.
"While we are delighted that Joseph Melloh has been released,
his case clearly highlights the current problems that exist
globally around monitoring the activities of logging companies in
the field," said Verbelen. "Corporate forest crime costs forest
nations several million US$ each year - yet most of these nations
have no formal framework - nor the institutional capacity - for
independent monitoring of the companies operating in their
forests."
Greenpeace argues that independent on-the-ground monitoring of
logging companies - whether leading to a positive endorsement of a
company or to the exposure of illegal and destructive practices -
is fundamental to achieving sustainable forest management
globally.
"Like neighbouring Cameroon, we are now calling on the
government of Congo to commit to formal independent monitoring of
logging company activities," said Verbelen. "Without this kind of
commitment, then current political processes like the World Bank's
programme on Forest Law Enforcement and Governance will mean very
little."
At the Johannesburg Earth Summit , Greenpeace is calling on
world governments to commit to the development of a global
framework on corporate responsibility, which should include issues
of transparency, independent verification and corporate
liability.
Notes: 1) Earth Summit II, the World Summit on Sustainable Development, will take place in Johannesburg from August 26th to September 4th.