Gabon: “Acts of torture against Sylvia and Noureddin Bongo,” says one of their lawyers
Former President of Gabon Ali Bongo, his wife Sylvia and three of their children, are asking a UN working group to recognize their “
arbitrary detention
” after the coup d'état of August 30, 2023. One of their lawyers, Maître François Zimeray, protests: “
They have the right to respect for fundamental rights, the right to a fair trial, the right to a defense, the right to a presumption of innocence. All these rights that have been violated.
»
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A view of Libreville, September 7, 2023. AFP - -
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In
Gabon
, the Bongo family relies on the UN. President Ali Bongo, overthrown last August by a military putsch, is still under house arrest. His wife Sylvia and his eldest son Noureddin, on the other hand, are locked up in the central prison.
In a request to the High Commission for Human Rights, the family's lawyers, who claim to have never been able to meet their clients since their arrest, denounce arbitrary detention and kidnapping outside any legal framework.
Read alsoThe UN criticizes the “horrible detention conditions” in Gabon’s prisons
This request follows a recent United Nations inspection of 18 Gabonese prisons which found “
horrible and deplorable
” prison conditions.
Maître François Zimeray, one of the Bongo family's lawyers, said on
Sidy Yansané
's microphone : "
As a lawyer, I was not able to have access to them, I was not able to see them and that's all to abnormal fact. No one is above the law. They are not asking for a privilege or a particular law. Quite simply, they have the right to respect for fundamental rights: the right to a fair trial, the right to a defense, the right to a presumption of innocence. All these rights that have been denied to them, since they were thrown into a prison on a political order 7 months ago now.
»
François Zimeray continues: “
A few days ago, the United Nations subcommittee against torture was in Libreville and denounced a horrible situation. However, not only are they thrown into prison, but they are mistreated there. I was told of acts of torture against Sylvia and Noureddin. And that is unacceptable. Justice is not revenge, it is not revenge. I do not make a political judgment. I wish this country a successful transition, but it cannot succeed in this transition towards more democracy and the rule of law if it relies on fundamental rights and on the treaties which the UN must ensure are respected. .
»
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