Madagascar's intolerance

A FARMER -turned-activist, convicted on criminal charges for questioning a Chinese-Malagasy gold mining company's permits, has recently had his appeal denied by a Madagascar court. Though advocacy groups are trying to put together a legal team to take the case to the supreme court, denial of the farmer's appeal is the latest in a series of crackdown on environmental activists in the country. In 2016, noted activist Clovis Razafimalala of environmental group Lampogno was arrested over a protest and was flown to a prison 400 km from his hometown. Armand Marozafy, another member of the group, went through something similar in 2015 after identifying two alleged rosewood traffickers in a private email. He was later convicted of defamation and sentenced to five months in jail. "It sends a chilling message to anyone willing to speak out for what they believe is right," says Tamara Leger of Amnesty International.