Benin: Arrested by the OCRC, Julien Kansou Kandé in custody; what he is accused of
The Beninese political activist and writer Julien Kansou, 34, a member of the opposition party Les Démocrates (LD), was apprehended at his home this Thursday morning by members of the former OCRC (Central Office for the Repression of Cybercrime), according to statements from his lawyer, Me Augustin Aballo.
Shortly after his arrest, the Les Démocrates party alerted the public with a statement denouncing a “political intimidation maneuver”.
According to his lawyer, Julien Kansou Kandé is being prosecuted for offenses related to the Digital Code and the Beninese Penal Code, without specific details of the charges being made public yet.
According to Me Aballo, contacted by Bip Radio, he was questioned this Thursday, then placed in custody, pending his presentation before the special prosecutor of the CRIET (Court for the Repression of Economic Offenses and Terrorism), a court criticized by the opposition for its controversial role in handling sensitive cases.
The Julien Kansou Kandé case adds to a series of arrests targeting critical voices of the regime in a context of increasing tension between the government and the opposition.
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