Benin: 2 chatty spectators placed in the defendant’s box at the Abomey-Calavi court
At the Abomey-Calavi court, two seniors who came to attend a hearing were placed in the dock for causing a disturbance.
SUMMARY
This Tuesday, July 28, 2025, an unusual scene unfolded at the Abomey-Calavi court. As the court was in normal session to review an ongoing case, two men, evidently around sixty years old and present merely as observers, turned their presence into a noise disruption. Seated among the spectators, they continued to engage in quiet conversations, enough to attract the attention of the entire room.
Despite several orders to keep quiet issued by the presiding judge, it seemed the two men failed to understand the gravity of their actions in a place where silence is usually required. Their persistent and irritating chatter eventually aggravated the presiding judge in charge of the hearing.
Public Order Reinforced, Without Trial
According to the facts reported by Bip radio, around 11 o’clock, the limit was crossed. The exasperated Judge, frustrated by their lack of discipline, ordered them to be immediately placed in the dock, citing “court disruption”.
The security officers promptly complied, escorting the two troublemakers to the dock, under the bewildered gaze of the attending public.
The two seniors, plainly sheepish, were forced to stay in the dock until the end of the session.
While they did not face immediate judicial proceedings, their misfortune served as a lesson for everyone who would underestimate the respect due to the solemnity of court places. A firm and symbolic manner, for the judge, to restore authority and calm in a disrupted hearing.
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