Fresh Opposition Arrest In Benin Ahead Of Vote

A Benin opposition leader who has been barred from contesting upcoming presidential elections has been detained for questioning by a special court, her lawyer and party members said Thursday

Cotonou, March 4 (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 4th Mar, 2021 ) :A Benin opposition leader who has been barred from contesting upcoming presidential elections has been detained for questioning by a special court, her lawyer and party members said Thursday.

Rekiath Madougou's candidacy for the April 11 elections had been rejected by the electoral commission for failing to garner signatures of support from 16 mayors or MPs.

"Mrs Madougou arrived Thursday at the Economic Crime and Terrorism Court (CRIET) where she will be heard by a special prosecutor," her lawyer Renaud Agbodjo said.

"She is facing charges of conspiracy and terrorism." "Our car was blocked by security forces," said Joel Aivo, another opposition member who was barred from running, who said he witnessed Madougou being arrested.

"Four officers took away our car with Mrs Madougou aboard," he wrote on social media Wednesday.

A police source confirmed to AFP that she was detained overnight.

Minutes before her arrest, the leader of the Democrats party, a close ally of former president Boni Yayi, had denounced the current regime's practices.

"We will not succumb to intimidations, obstacles and bullying," said Aivo, who was also present at the meeting.

Tuesday, two members of Madougou's party were charged with conspiracy and terrorism, their lawyer and a judicial source said.

"Bio Dramane Tidjani and Mamadou Tidjani are political hostages," Madougou had said after their arrest.

Separately, Sebastien Ajavon, a key opposition leader who came in third in the last election and was convicted of drug trafficking in 2018 and sentenced to 20 years in prison, was sentenced in absentia on Monday to five years for forgery and fraud.

Ajavon is currently living in exile in France, like many of the country's opposition members.

President Patrice Talon, a cotton tycoon, was elected in 2016.

He had initially said he would complete only one mandate, later changing his mind and announcing in mid-February he was running again.

Benin has long been viewed as a vibrant democracy, but Talon's critics say the country has veered into authoritarianism under his rule.