Amnesty
Groep Schagen en Hollands Kroon

Minister of Justice                                                       postzegel internationaal

François Rakotozafy

43 Rue Joel Rakotomolala Faravohitra

Antananarivo, Madagascar

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(Plaats, datum)

 

Dear Minister François Rakotozafy,

 

On 17 March 2022, the Criminal Court of Mananjary sentenced human rights defender and public-school teacher Jeannot Randriamanana to two years of imprisonment for “defamation and humiliation of members of Parliament and public servants” and “identity fraud”. He was convicted solely for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression in denouncing, in February on his social media, the alleged mismanagement and embezzlement by public authorities of humanitarian aid for the population impacted by cyclones Batsirai and Emnati in the district of Nosy Varika, in February 2022. Randriamanana is being detained in the Maison Centrale de Mananjary.

 

In light of the above, I urge you to immediately and unconditionally release Jeannot Randriamanana, quash the verdict against him and drop all charges against him as he is being detained solely for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression and the right to freedom of information. I also urge you to ensure that Malagasy human rights defenders and whistle-blowers are not detained under trumped-up charges for exposing and denouncing cases of corruption, and to accelerate the process of adopting the law on the protection of human rights defenders and activists, including whistle-blowers.

Thank you for your attention. I am looking forward to your reply.

 

Yours sincerely,

 

(Naam, adres)

 

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