BENIN: Public prosecutor sends journalist to prison and accuses him of harassment

Ignace Sossou, a Beninese journalist working for Bénin Web TV, was sentenced by the courts in his country on 20 December 2019. He received an 18-month prison sentence and a fine of 200,000 CFA francs for sharing on his social media accounts remarks made by the Public Prosecutor.

On 18 December 2019, while attending the Vérifox Afrique Forum organised by CFI Médias in Cotonou, journalist Ignace Sossou shared on Twitter and Facebook remarks made by speakers during various panel discussions. He also shared remarks made by Public Prosecutor Mario Mètonou during one of the sessions.

Following these posts, on Friday 20 December, Ignace was arrested at home by law enforcement officers and taken into custody. These are the tweets at issue:

Source: Ignace Sossou’s Twitter account, @Ignacekp — 18 December
“The Beninese legal framework as it stands does not provide legal certainty for litigants” — Public Prosecutor Mario Mètonou @CFImedias #VérifoxAfrique #Bénin
“The internet shutdown on polling day, 28 April, is an admission of weakness by those in power” — Public Prosecutor Mario Mètonou
“The Digital Code is like a gun pointed at the heads of… journalists” — Public Prosecutor Mario Mètonou

After 72 hours in police custody, he was tried under a fast-track procedure and sentenced on Tuesday 24 December 2019 to 18 months’ imprisonment and a fine of 200,000 CFA francs. Public Prosecutor Mario Mètonou, who filed a complaint against the journalist, said through his lawyer that he had felt harassed by the social media posts. He said that “the journalist should have tried to understand the spirit in which the Public Prosecutor made those remarks instead of simply repeating them, as he did.”

Following an approach from the Beninese authorities, CFI Médias sent a letter to Benin’s Minister of Justice on 19 December 2019. In the letter, CFI Médias’ Africa Director apologised on behalf of the agency, saying that it was “sorry that an unscrupulous journalist had taken advantage of this privileged moment to try to create a buzz at the Prosecutor’s expense” (see the attached letter from CFI). When presented in court, CFI Médias’ letter of apology was used as evidence against Ignace Sossou.

It is worth recalling that Ignace Sossou, from whom CFI Médias was quick to distance itself, is a member of the award-winning West Africa Leaks investigative journalism network, which received an award in 2018. He is also a member of the Norbert Zongo Cell for Investigative Journalism in West Africa and the 3i Network, which brings together investigative journalists from Europe, the Maghreb and West Africa.

We, AfricTivistes, strongly denounce and condemn CFI Médias’ ambiguous and unbalanced position. The agency has undermined a media professional in the course of his work by accusing him of lacking professional standards and ethics.

We regard this conviction as an abuse of power and as harassment by the Public Prosecutor, with CFI Médias’ complicity.

The repressive laws and legal vacuum in Beninese legislation — which the Public Prosecutor himself denounces — should be of greater concern to him and command all his attention, rather than being used to settle personal scores.

Benin is currently experiencing a dangerous decline in freedom of expression, as shown by the latest Reporters Without Borders ranking, in which the country fell 12 places, from 84th to 96th out of 180 countries. Benin had already dropped six places in 2018. Amid intimidation, threats and censorship, the press has become a target of the political authorities in Benin.

We stand in solidarity with Ignace Sossou and repeat the same remarks that the Public Prosecutor said made him feel harassed. AfricTivistes will share Ignace Sossou’s posts on its social media accounts and calls on all its members to support him by reposting his tweets.

AfricTivistes calls on the international community, particularly the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union, to pay close attention to the shrinking civic space and the erosion of democratic gains in Benin in recent years.

AfricTivistes calls on Public Prosecutor Mario Mètonou to drop the charges against journalist Ignace Sossou immediately. He neither defamed anyone nor fabricated remarks. He simply quoted on social media remarks he had heard at a public event, in the course of his work as a journalist.

AfricTivistes urges the Beninese authorities to act responsibly and listen to the people of Benin, who want only to preserve the country’s democratic gains and fundamental values.