The conclusion of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGDA) addressed to the government of Benin and made public on Wednesday, November 13, is unequivocal. “The deprivation of liberty of Joël Aïvo is arbitrary, indicates in a 17-page document that the world He was able to consult. The appropriate measure would be to release him immediately and grant him the right to obtain reparation, including compensation, in accordance with international law. »
Joël Aïvo, a law professor and human rights defender in Benin, was arrested on April 15, 2021, four days after the presidential elections in which Patrice Talon was re-elected for a second term. “Imprisoned for his mobilization and political commitment in favor of democracy”According to the GTDA, Joël Aïvo was arrested “in inhumane, cruel and degrading conditions, in particular from April 16 to June 9, 2021, where he was allegedly together with 38 other detainees in an overcrowded and unsanitary cell, a former public bathroom. »
Nicknamed “the Professor” by his fellow citizens, the constitutional lawyer was sentenced in December 2021 to ten years in criminal prison and a fine of almost 68,000 euros for “money laundering” and “endangering the security of the State.” For many international NGOs, this sentence – which preceded by a few days that of Reckya Madougou, former Minister of Justice turned opposition, to twenty years in prison – illustrates the authoritarian drift since Patrice Talon came to power in 2016. values, Benin was notably removed from the list of “safe countries” by the French Office for the Protection of Refugees and Stateless Persons (Ofpra).
“The GTDA decisively demonstrates that the arrest, detention and conviction of Professor Aïvo are arbitrary and violate international lawsays Ludovic Hennebel, his French lawyer. I invite the Beninese authorities to fulfill their international commitments and respect the recommendations of the United Nations by immediately releasing my client. »
Suspicions of a “coup d’état” plan
On the same day that the GTDA opinion on the Joël Aïvo case was issued, Louis-Philippe Houndégnon, former director general of the national police, was arrested by an armed commando at his home. “He is a defender of the Constitution and the freedoms of the Beninese people and his life is now in danger because of his commitments. », declared his chief of staff, Bio Dogon Worou, in a statement published in several Beninese media. In recent weeks, former relatives of the president have also been arrested and imprisoned in Cotonou prison. Among them are Olivier Boko and Oswald Homeky, former members of the presidential inner circle.
Olivier Boko, 60, is a powerful businessman, head of the Food and Food Supplies (DFA) group. Considered a close friend of Patrice Talon for more than twenty years, he was often presented as his “right arm,” although he never held official functions. By showing his ambitions and suggesting that he would run in the 2026 presidential elections, he would have aroused the ire of the Head of State. In his approach, the man in the shadows had the support of Oswald Homéky, 38, former Minister of Sports (2016-2023), until then considered the “protege” of Patrice Talon. In late September, the two men were arrested on suspicion of planning a “coup d’état.”
According to the prosecutor of the Court for the Suppression of Economic Crimes and Terrorism (Criet), a jurisdiction “which constitutes a de facto body in charge of prosecuting and judging political opponents”according to the GTDA –, they would have wanted to give money to the commander of the Republican Guard, Djimon Dieudonné Tévoédjrè, with the perspective of organizing a coup d’état. Although the case against the latter has been archived, the two former relatives of Patrice Talon are now accused of “corruption of a public official, money laundering and conspiracy against the authority of the State.” They were detained pending trial.
In 2026, Patrice Talon will reach the end of his second term, the maximum authorized by the Beninese Constitution, and will therefore not be able to run. “He wants to be able to appoint his successor himself, indicates a nearby source of energy. By publicly revealing his ambitions, Olivier Boko made a mistake that could prove fatal. »
