UN says jailing of Benin investigative journalist Sossou is violation of international laws
The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions says the jailing of investigative Journalist, Ignace Sossou by the Benin authorities is a violation of international laws and called on the government to compensate the journalist.
Working Group on Arbitrary Detentions of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights gave its opinion on the matter this month following a complaint lodged by lawyers of Sossou. The Working Group based in Geneva, can investigate cases “of deprivation of liberty imposed arbitrarily.”
The Benin authorities however did not respond to the Working Group’s written request. It therefore went ahead to give its opinion on the issue and asked the government to ensure that all its laws on freedom of speech, the press and expression are aligned with the international conventions it has signed onto.
Sossou was arrested in December 2019 after a government prosecutor, Mario Mètonou, complained that the journalist had posted incorrect and defamatory posts on Twitter and Facebook after he gave a speech at a public event for journalists.
But recordings of the speech show that Sossou correctly reported Mètonou’s remarks.
Sossou was thrown into jail for 18 months after a hasty trial. The sentence was reduced to six months and the equivalent of $800 fine imposed on him after an appeal. The journalist was released in June this year.
One of his lawyers who petitioned the UN, Henri Thulliez, had described the sentencing in December as; “Outrageous and unjustified: 18 months in jail for three tweets. Not only is freedom of expression repressed, but the right of each citizen to be informed is being trampled on.”
Sossou who is an editor with BeninWebTV is a member of the Norbert Zongo Centre for Investigative Journalists (CENOZO) worked with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) on Panama Papers and West Africa Leaks all major cross-border investigative projects.
“This decision is a strong message to all those who courageously work in the service of freedom of expression. Mr. Sossou’s case must set a precedent. No responsible journalist should find himself arbitrarily imprisoned. No public authority should keep a journalist in detention with impunity,” three of Sossou’s lawyers, Henri Thulliez, William Bourdon and Elise le Gal, told the ICIJ.
By Emmanuel K. Dogbevi