Madagascar: Environmental activist Raleva before justice today

Civil society is sounding the alarm. The environmental activist Raleva must appear this Friday, October 2 before the public prosecutor of the Republic of Mananjary, a commune located on the east coast of the island. The man participated in a demonstration by the local population on September 1 to protest against the gold activities of a Chinese company. Environmental associations are concerned about the possible consequences of this summons.
The environmental activist Raleva was summoned this Friday, October 2, by the national gendarmerie with three other people. Present at the demonstration of local populations on September 1, he demanded the cessation of activities of the Chinese company Mac Lai Sime Gianna (M.L.S.G.) which has been mining gold since 2013.
The man accuses the company of destroying natural resources because of its extractive activity. The civil society wants to alert on this summons since it is not the first time that the activist is worried.
Three years ago, the organizations said in a statement, Raleva was remanded in custody and given a two-year suspended sentence because he dared to ask to see the official papers authorizing the Chinese company to resume gold mining. Mining had been halted earlier by the regional chief in the commune of Vohilava. Raleva had been recognized as a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International and released after 23 days in detention.