The old seal guard has been found guilty of “complicity of terrorist acts” by the court of repression of economic offenses and terrorism. Set up by the power in 2018, this special court is accused by its detractors to serve as a legal instrument of power to muzzle the opposition.
Le Monde with AFP
The Béninese opponent and ancient custody of Seals Reckya Madougou was sentenced on Saturday 11 December, to twenty years in prison for terrorism in a special court in Porto-Novo, the capital of Benin. Four days before, another opponent, Joel Aivo, had been sentenced to ten years in prison.
After more than twenty hours of hearing, M me Madougou, 47, has been convicted of “complicity of terrorist acts” by the court of repression of economic offenses and terrorism ( Criet). The opponent, who had pleaded not guilty, was sentenced to the prosecutor’s sentence. “This Court deliberately decided to nail the pillory an innocent,” said Madougou, shortly before the announcement of the verdict. “I have never been and I will never be a terrorist.”
Set up by power in 2018, this special court is accused by its detractors to serve as a legal instrument of power to muzzle the opposition. “It’s sad for our righteousness. I maintain that there is no evidence,” said France-Presse (AFP) Robert Dossou, one of the lawyers of Reckya Madougou.
“This procedure is only a political shot”
The old minister, whose applications for the presidential election of April 11 had been rejected, had been arrested a few weeks before the ballot who saw President Patrice Talon be re-elected for a second term, with more than 86% voices. Industrial and imprisoned at the beginning of March in Cotonou, the economic capital, the opponent is accused of financing an operation to murder political figures to prevent the holding of the vote and thus “destabilize” the country.
The hearing, which took place in the calm, was marked upon his opening, Friday, by the indignation of one of the lawyers of the accused, Antoine Vey, who stated at the helm: “This procedure is only a political shot. Even before his arrest, everything has been orchestrated.” In the wake, the lawyer, arrived the eve of Paris, requested the cancellation of the trial before leaving the room, without ever coming back. He then denounced from AFP “a trial that is not judicial”.
A hundred opinion prisoners (bloggers, activists, protesters, policies …) are detained today in Beninese prisons. Several were arrested in the wake of the April presidential ballot, an election marked by violence that had at least two dead.
Tuesday, December 7, the Criet had already sentenced another opponent, Joel Aivo, at ten years in prison, especially for “plotting against the authority of the state” and “money laundering”. In custody for eight months, the academic had been arrested in the aftermath of Mr. Talon’s re-election. This rich businessman, elected president for the first time in 2015, is accused of having hired the Benin in an authoritarian turn on behalf of the “development of his country”.