Arrest of C. Hugues Sossoukpè: RSF denounces an “unheard of” extradition and demands his immediate release
Beninese journalist Hugues Comlan Sossoukpè, a political refugee in Togo since 2021, was arrested in Ivory Coast where he was officially invited for a professional mission. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns an arrest it considers illegal and calls for his immediate release.
SUMMARY
Hugues Comlan Sossoukpè, director of the Beninese investigative media Olofofo, did not imagine that his trip to Abidjan would turn into a drama. Invited by the Ivorian Ministry of Digital Transition to cover a regional fair on digital innovation, the journalist was arrested in his hotel room on July 10. This arrest, which occurred in what was supposed to be a professional setting, led to his transfer to Benin, where he was incarcerated upon his arrival.
Known for his critical investigations against the Beninese authorities, Comlan Hugues Sossoukpè’s writing had already earned him exile in 2019. In November 2021, he officially obtained political refugee status in Togo. A status clearly mentioned in his travel documents, according to RSF, and that should have guaranteed him international protection against any form of forced return to his home country.
RSF denounces “complicit cooperation in persecution”
In a firmly worded statement, Reporters Without Borders said it was “outraged” by this arrest, which it considers a blatant violation of international law. “RSF condemns in the strongest terms the handover of Hugues Comlan Sossoukpè by the Ivorian authorities to the Beninese authorities, in blatant violation of his refugee status,” denounced Arnaud Froger, head of the investigation department of the organization.
The organization demands answers from the Ivorian authorities, which it accuses of being “clearly complicit in the well-established persecution of a reporter,” and warns against any misuse of cooperation between states to muzzle critical voices.
Reporters Without Borders also calls for the immediate release of journalist Comlan Hugues Sossoukpè and reserves the right to take any appropriate action to guarantee his protection.
A worrying official silence
Since his arrest, the journalist has been placed in pre-trial detention by the Court for the Repression of Economic Crimes and Terrorism (CRIET), which accuses him of “harassment through a computer system”, “rebellion” and “apology for terrorism”. Contacted by RSF, his lawyer asserts that his client is well, but feels “trapped” by what he qualifies as orchestrated manipulation.
In response to RSF’s calls, the Ivorian authorities have still not reacted. On the Benin side, the government spokesperson has merely asserted, according to RSF, that the journalist “will have the opportunity to respond to the charges against him,” without further clarification on the disturbing circumstances of his arrest.
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