There were no significant changes in the human rights situation in Gabon during the year. In the wake of the August 2023 military coup that deposed President Ali Bongo Ondimba and ended the Bongo family’s 56-year dynastic rule, the Committee for the Transition and Restoration of Institutions, Gabon’s ruling military body, and Transition Authorities (hereafter collectively called Transition Authorities) continued to implement their transition roadmap developed in November 2023. The Transition Authorities organized an Inclusive National Dialogue in April that included more than 600 participants from diverse sectors, political parties, and organizations to develop a report of the political, economic, and social recommendations for new legal codes, electoral laws, and a new constitution. Transition Authorities wrote a new draft constitution in October, which was put to a national referendum on November 16. While there were some voting irregularities and procedural problems, the national referendum was executed in an orderly and transparent manner. Voters overwhelmingly voted in favor of the new constitution. International observers regarded the balloting as free and fair.
Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: torture or cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment; arbitrary arrest or detention; trafficking in persons including forced labor; and significant presence of any of the worst forms of child labor.
During the year, Transition Authorities did not take...
Federal officials have announced that a home health care provider in the St. Louis region has agreed to pay more than $500,000 to resolve allegations that it submitted false claims to Medicaid. Th...