Republic of Congo Authorities Arrest Transparency Campaigner Christian Mounzeo

The United States is concerned about the recent re-arrest of Christian Mounzeo, an Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) board member and leading anti-corruption campaigner in the Republic of Congo, on charges of defaming President Sassou-Nguesso. Since April, Mr. Mounzeo has been charged with several fraud and misappropriation charges, many of which have been dropped due to lack of evidence. We are concerned about the pattern of arrests and about reports that Mr. Mounzeo's attorneys have been denied access to their client. The United States calls on the Republic of Congo to follow due process and to uphold the rule of law.