had rejected the candidacies of the main several towns around the time of the political opponents. presidential election. On 14 October, Benin was elected as a Joël Aïvo – whose candidacy to run for the member of the UN Human Rights Council for presidential election was rejected – was the period 2022-2024. arrested and detained in Cotonou on 15 FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND April. He was accused of “money laundering ARBITRARY DETENTION and endangering the security of the State”. Reckiatou Madougou, a member of the Jean Kpoton, a pro-good-governance activist, opposition party Les Démocrates and whose was arrested on 13 January and sentenced candidacy was also rejected, was arrested on on 9 February by the Cotonou Court of First 3 March in Porto-Novo and detained in Instance to 12 months’ imprisonment and a Akpro-Missérété prison. She was charged fine of 200,000 FCFA (€304); he had with “financing terrorism” for her “intent to commented on a post alleging that the car disrupt the next ballot by perpetrating large- used by President Talon during a cross- scale acts of terror”. Lawyers for the two country tour in January was rented for 6 political opponents denounced violations of million FCFA (€9,146) per day. He was their rights to communicate with, and receive convicted under the 2018 Digital Code of regular visits from, their families and to have “harassment by means of electronic confidential access to lawyers. On 6 and 11 communication”, an offence whose definition December, the Court for the Repression of was considered “vague and too broad” by the Economic Crimes and Terrorism sentenced UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention in Joël Aïvo and Reckiatou Madougou to 10 its October 2020 Opinion. years’ and 20 years’ imprisonment On 19 May, the Supreme Court upheld the respectively. The US Department of State May 2020 Appeal Court judgment sentencing declared that their trials “raise grave journalist Ignace Sossou to six months in concerns about political interference in prison and six months suspended for Benin’s criminal justice system”. “harassment by means of electronic EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE communications” under the Digital Code after he quoted the Public Prosecutor in a Demonstrations and riots erupted in several Twitter post. Ignace Sossou’s lawyers had cities in the north and centre of the country wanted the Supreme Court to consider their several days before the 11 April presidential client’s detention as arbitrary, as the UN election. At least five people were killed by Working Group on Arbitrary Detention had government forces using live ammunition in done in August 2020. Bantè and Savè in Collines department, On 7 December, two journalists with the according to the National Human Rights newspaper Le Soleil Bénin Info were Commission. The Ministry of Interior and sentenced to six months’ suspended Public Security stated on 14 April that 21 imprisonment and a fine of more than members of the defence and security forces 500,000 FCFA (€762) for “harassment by received gunshot wounds when they cleared means of electronic communication”, roadblocks. following a complaint of libel by a customs In a 4 May resolution, the African inspector. Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights RIGHT TO A FAIR TRIAL condemned “the crackdown on demonstrations by the army”, and called for At least 10 activists and political opponents the opening of “an independent and impartial were arrested and detained during investigation.” demonstrations and violence between protesters and defence and security forces in Amnesty International Report 2021/22 94