African Media Barometer GABON 2016 Summary In Gabon there still remains a lot of room for improvement as far as the media is concerned. General freedom of expression is guaranteed under the Constitution and several pieces of legislation. There is an open Code of Communication, which guarantees freedom of expression to all citizens, as well as access to information and the media. Gabon has also signed most of the international instruments, including the Declaration of Principles of Freedom of Expression in Africa. In the light of these texts, the country has no reason to envy other democratic countries. However, in practice, the enforcement of these texts is not effective. Indeed, under the pretext of maintaining “public order” the authorities carry out arrests on people for opinions they have expressed or for having participated in unauthorized events: rallies, marches, etc. People think twice before criticizing the regime. Although no State Secrecy laws exist, there are issues which one steers clear of such as defence, the mining sector, public procurement and forestry. A journalist had this bitter experience. He found himself behind bars for having criticised a contract awarded by the Treasury for the acquisition of an armoured vehicle, without going through the Procurement Commission. In theory, access to journalism as a profession is open to all. In practice, however there are restrictions on the free exercise of this profession. The authorities sometimes require that a journalist is in possession of a valid press card, the issuing of press credentials is not always transparent. The Government also reserves the right to decide whether or not to grant permission for the establishment of a press organisation. Journalists do not have it easy exercising their profession. They\are sometimes required to reveal their sources and could end up in prison if they do not comply. They rarely have access to public sources of information, especially if he / she is considered as hostile to the regime. However, there is a ray of light in this gloomy picture. New forms of media are free. Web sites are neither filtered nor blocked. The use of mobile phones is widespread. No legislation exists regarding this form of communication. Apparently, the lawmakers have not yet woken up to the importance of new forms of media. This is also the case for civil society. Not only is it not organized, but it also does not get involved effectively in the defence of the media, or in the reorganization 60 AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER GABON 2016