On this page, you will find:
To find organisations working for LGBTQI+ rights, visit our Gabon LGBTQI+ Resources page.
To find organisations providing legal or other types of assistance to refugees in Gabon, visit our Gabon Legal Assistance page.
COI Experts
Professor of History at the University of Arizona
Email: benlaw@email.arizona.edu
Benjamin N. Lawrance is the former Conable Chair in International Studies at Rochester Institute of Technology and is currently a professor of history at the University of Arizona. He has conducted field research in West Africa since 1997 and published extensively about political and social conditions. He has served as an expert witness in the asylum cases for over 130 West Africans in the US, Europe and Canada which have involved human trafficking, citizenship, statelessness, female genital cutting, gender issues, gender identity, ethnic and religious violence, and witchcraft accusations.
Email: jrich@maryu.marywood.edu
Dr. Jeremy Rich is a specialist on central African politics and history, particularly on the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, and the Republic of Congo. He served for over 5 years as a member of the Amnesty International USA Central Africa country specialist program. Dr. Rich has extensive experience in reviewing applications of individuals seeking political asylum (particularly in the USA) and writing letters of support and affidavits on their behalf. He was written 2 books and over 30 articles on Congolese and Gabonese history. The US State Department has invited Dr. Rich to present on Gabonese politics and he also was an official observer of the 2016 Gabonese presidential election. He is fluent in French and some familiarity with Fang, Lingala, and Kinyarwanda. He currently teaches at Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania, USA.
COI Resources
The following sections contain documents that can be consulted when looking for country of origin information.
‘Although Gabon holds multiparty elections, President Ali Bongo Ondimba maintains political dominance through a combination of patronage and repression, having succeeded his father upon his death in 2009 after more than 40 years in power. However, President Bongo’s fitness to exercise power has been the subject of considerable doubt since he suffered a stroke in October 2018. The executive branch effectively controls the judiciary. Other significant problems include discrimination against immigrants, marginalization of minority groups, and legal and de facto inequality for women.’
As an independent, non-profit, civil society organization (CSO), Verité is recognized for its unique credibility. Since 1995, we have partnered with hundreds of corporations, governments, and CSOs to illuminate labor rights violations in supply chains and remedy them to the benefit of workers and companies alike.
Gabon Legal Assistance
Find organisations offering legal and other types of assistance to refugees in Gabon.
Gabon LGBTQI+ Resources
Find organisations working for refugee LGBTQI+ rights in Gabon.
We are always looking to expand the resources on our platform. If you know about relevant experts, or you are aware of organisations and/or resources to include in our directories, please get in touch.
Last updated June 2023