On the eve of President Emmanuel Macron’s go to to Benin, the Brussels-based NGO “Human Rights With out Frontiers” urged the French President to demand the discharge of two well-known opposition leaders, Reckya Madougou and Joël Aivo, respectively sentenced to twenty years and 10 years in jail.
This month, Human Rights With out Frontiers (HRWF) has filed a report with the United Nations Common Periodic Evaluation (UPR) for Benin, through which the organisation outlined its considerations over human rights abuses in Benin, with specific regard to the continued detention of opposition figures Reckya Madougou and Joël Aivo and the truth that they weren’t included in a listing of 17 detainees because of be briefly launched after a 13 June 2022 assembly between President Patrice Talon and Thomas Boni Yayi, former President of Benin (2006-2016).
The submission by HRWF included particulars concerning the case of Reckya Madougou who was sentenced on the finish of 2021 to twenty years in jail for allegedly financing terrorism. She had been arrested in March 2021 accused of wiring 1000’s of {dollars} to a army officer for the aim of killing unnamed authorities. Her candidacy had earlier been rejected by the electoral fee. HRWF went on to element that Ms Madougou was the chief of the opposition get together, Les Démocrates, and a presidential candidate. HRWF’s assertion additionally described Ms Madougou’s civil society marketing campaign — “Don’t contact my structure” — that rallied towards leaders looking for to increase their rule beneath the guise of constitutional reform. The motion unfold throughout West Africa, gaining her a excessive profile.
The HRWF report back to the UPR additionally gave particulars concerning the case of Joël Aivo and his December 2021 sentencing by the controversial Financial Crime and Terrorism Courtroom (CRIET) to 10 years in jail for allegedly plotting towards the state and laundering cash.
HRWF defined of their submission that Mr Aivo is a regulation professor who challenged Talon within the 2021 election. He was held for eight months forward of sentencing and pleaded not responsible to the costs of plotting towards the state and cash laundering.
HRWF has been monitoring the backsliding that has been happening round human rights in Benin since 2016. “We have been particularly dismayed to see that Reckya Madougou and Joël Aivo weren’t on the June 2022 listing of 17 detainees to be briefly launched. Ms Madougou and Mr Aivo needs to be totally launched instantly. The persecution and detention of opposition figures has no place in a democracy and we’re involved for the welfare of those two politicians. President Macron should use his go to to Benin to demand that President Patrice Talon launch them,” Willy Fautré, director of Human Rights With out Frontiers advised The European Occasions.
