71. To its credit, Madagascar is not among the countries that have been identified ashaving suffered the murder of an environmental defender. However, activists have statedthat they are afraid of identifying themselves as human rights defenders because of the lackof a legal structure to ensure their security (see A/HRC/WG.6/20/MDG/3, para. 33), andduring his visit the Special Rapporteur heard several reports of threats againstenvironmental defenders. Moreover, in the last two years, two individuals opposing illegallogging have been imprisoned. In May 2015, Armand Marozafy, an ecotourism guide, wasfound guilty of defamation under a cybercrime law after trying to bring attention to illegalrosewood trafficking. He was imprisoned for five months and ordered to pay 12 millionMGA (approximately $3,650). Clovis Razafimalala, coordinator of the Lampognocoalition, is currently in prison for allegedly destroying public property during ademonstration against rosewood traders in Maroantsetra. The Special Rapporteur notes thatthese cases are consistent with a growing global trend of using suits based on defamation orminor legal violations to silence the voices of those trying to oppose untrammelleddevelopment of natural resources. That the cases occurred in a region of the country where,
71. To its credit, Madagascar is not among the countries that have been identified as having suffered the murder of an environmental defender. However, activists have stated that they are afraid of identifying themselves as human rights defenders because of the lack of a legal structure to ensure their security (see A/HRC/WG.6/20/MDG/3, para. 33), and during his visit the Special Rapporteur heard several reports of threats against environmental defenders. Moreover, in the last two years, two individuals opposing illegal logging have been imprisoned. In May 2015, Armand Marozafy, an ecotourism guide, was found guilty of defamation under a cybercrime law after trying to bring attention to illegal rosewood trafficking. He was imprisoned for five months and ordered to pay 12 million MGA (approximately $3,650). Clovis Razafimalala, coordinator of the Lampogno coalition, is currently in prison for allegedly destroying public property during a demonstration against rosewood traders in Maroantsetra. The Special Rapporteur notes that these cases are consistent with a growing global trend of using suits based on defamation or minor legal violations to silence the voices of those trying to oppose untrammelled development of natural resources. That the cases occurred in a region of the country where,