Recently, several images were circulated on Facebook from an account named Tamanna Akhter Yesman, claiming that "the President of Gabon, Emerson Marthy, has filed a human rights violation case against the Government of Bangladesh at the Australian Human Rights Commission Court." This claim was shared not only from the original account but also across multiple Facebook groups. Subsequently, the same narrative was disseminated through various other Facebook pages and accounts.

Fact-Check

Rumor Scanner Team’s investigation confirms that the claim regarding the President of Gabon filing a case against Bangladesh at the Australian Human Rights Commission Court is entirely false. No individual named Emerson Marthy holds the office of President in Gabon. The current President of Gabon is Brice Oligui Nguema.

The images used in the viral claim were actually taken during a meeting between Jorge Rodríguez, President of the National Assembly of Venezuela, and Reem Al Hashimy, Minister of State for International Cooperation of the United Arab Emirates. These images have been misused to support the fabricated claim.

In this context, a post dated January 3, 2023, was found on Jorge Rodríguez’s official X account, where the same images featured in the false claim were originally published. According to the caption of the post, the photographs documented a bilateral cooperation meeting held on behalf of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro between Jorge Rodríguez and UAE Minister Reem Al Hashimy.

Based on this information, a keyword search led to a report published on January 3, 2023, by the Spanish news outlet El Correo titled “Emiratos Árabes Unidos evalúa la cooperación con Venezuela.” According to the report, the meeting took place at the diplomatic headquarters of the UAE in Brasília, the capital of Brazil, where the officials discussed mutual respect and recognition, solidarity, and complementarity. The meeting also focused on advancing bilateral cooperation in the oil, gas, and petrochemical sectors.

Therefore, the images and the claim made in the viral posts have no connection to Bangladesh. The woman depicted is not a representative of the Bangladesh government but is, in fact, Reem bint Ibrahim Al Hashimy, UAE’s Minister of State for International Cooperation. Although the posts falsely identify Emerson Marthy as Gabon’s President, the actual president is Brice Oligui Nguema.

It is also noteworthy that the Facebook account operating under the name Tamanna Akhter Yesman has previously shared misleading information regarding Bangladesh using the image of Minister Reem Al Hashimy. Rumor Scanner has published fact-check stories on several such rumors spread from this account.

In conclusion, the claim that the Australian Human Rights Commission Court has accepted a case filed by Gabon’s President against the Bangladesh Government is entirely fabricated.

Original News Source: https://rumorscanner.com/fact-check/bd-govt-gabon-president-case-fake-photo/160826