Journalists demand Benin free jailed colleagues
Reporters Without Borders and a coalition of journalists are calling for the release of two Beninese journalists who have been detained for a year. The group claims the arrests are politically motivated and highlights concerns over the lack of due process and medical care for the detainees.
Why it matters
The case highlights ongoing concerns regarding press freedom and the treatment of political critics under the current Beninese administration.
A group of 50 west African journalists and press freedom group Reporters Without Borders (RSF) called Friday for the release of two colleagues jailed in Benin for the past year.
The appeal came on the first anniversary of the arrest of Beninese journalist Hugues Comlan Sossoukpe, a critic of the country's government.
Sossoukpe, who had been living in exile in Togo, was arrested on July 10, 2025 while attending a conference in Ivory Coast, then flown to Benin and jailed, in what RSF has condemned as a "kidnapping".
Six days later, fellow journalist Ali Moumouni was also arrested, accused of being Sossoukpe's collaborator.
The pair face charges including online harassment and defence of terrorism, according to the rights group.
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