December 07, (THEWILL) – An opposition leader in Benin Republic, Joel Aivo, has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment after a trial on treason and corruption charges.
The academic, who had been held for eight months, maintained that the charges against him were politically motivated.
“I am the target of political vengeance. I knew that my ideas would be upsetting”, Aivo said.
Several opposition leaders were detained before or just after the April 11 election that saw Benin President Patrice Talon win a second term with more than 86 percent of the votes.
Aivo, one of the opposition figures who was barred from running in the presidential election, had pleaded not guilty when the trial opened Monday.
Aivo, arrested on April 15, was tried at the Economic Crime and Terrorism Court (CRIET) in the West African country’s administrative capital, Porto-Novo.
The CRIET, a special court set up in 2016, has often been accused by critics of serving as a tool by Talon’s regime to crack down on the opposition.
Once praised for its thriving multi-party democracy, critics say Benin has slipped steadily into authoritarian rule under former cotton magnate Talon.
Some opposition figures have fled the country while others were disqualified from running in elections, or targeted for investigation.
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