2023-08-07 16:26:49
Juan Branco will soon be back on French soil. Become a target of the Senegalese justice for his support for the main opponent of President Macky Sall, the tempestuous Franco-Spanish lawyer had been charged and imprisoned Sunday August 6 in the morning in Dakar after being arrested in Mauritania. After spending the night in a cell, he was released under judicial supervision on Monday August 7 and is in the process of being deported to France, according to one of his lawyers and a senior official at the Senegalese Ministry of Justice.
Here is the summary of this affair, in three acts.
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1 – Lawyer for the opposition
Best known in France for his successful pamphlet “Twilight”, hostile to the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron, Juan Branco has also recently made a name for himself in Senegal by taking part in the defense of Ousmane Sonko. The showdown of this opponent with power and justice has given rise to several episodes of deadly violence over the past two years. Juan Branco particularly attracted attention by announcing a complaint in France and a referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague (Netherlands) against Senegalese President Macky Sall for “crimes against humanity” in June, when the country had just experienced its most violent unrest in years.
In Senegal, what is happening between Ousmane Sonko and Macky Sall?
The 33-year-old Parisian lawyer had been targeted since mid-July by a Senegalese justice investigation which announced the issuance of an international arrest warrant. According to this document written by an examining magistrate of the high court outside the class of Dakar, he was prosecuted for “call for insurrection, dissemination of false news, acts and maneuvers likely to compromise public security or to cause serious political disturbances, to break the law. » After his unexpected entry into the territory of Senegal, Juan Branco appeared alongside the Senegalese lawyers of Ousmane Sonko, two days after the arrest of the opponent at the end of July. The latter has since been imprisoned on various charges, including calling for insurrection.
The Senegalese government on Thursday described Juan Branco as a publicity-hungry lawyer shirking his responsibilities. “Senegal should not be the sounding board for a lawyer who is in need of recognition in his country” and that « he looks at Victor Hugo »said government spokesman Abdou Karim Fofana. “If you have the courage to challenge a State, to challenge a nation, you must face it”.
2 – Arrest in Mauritania and hunger strike
Juan Branco says he was “kidnapped” Friday, August 4 in the evening about 100 km from the Mauritanian capital, Nouakchott, by hooded men without distinctive signs and who injured his wrists, according to Ciré Clédor Ly, a Senegalese lawyer for Ousmane Sonko. According to his Parisian lawyers, Juan Branco was arrested aboard a boat in Mauritanian territory when he intended to contact the Mauritanian authorities. These could have organized his repatriation to France or Spain, they said.
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The lawyer was then handed over to the Senegalese authorities, and refused to eat or drink after his arrest. He also decided to remain silent and not to allow anyone to assist him, including before the judge who charged him and imprisoned him, said in a message sent to AFP Me Ciré Clédor Ly , who was waiting for him with another lawyer when he arrived in the capital after his transfer from Mauritania. His French lawyers declared his condition “concerning”, in a press release. They also contested the conditions of his transfer to the Senegalese authorities, which “taint the procedure” and his continued detention.
A sign of the importance given to the subject, the Minister of the Interior Antoine Abdoulaye Félix Diome announced his arrest on Saturday evening during a debate in the National Assembly. According to a Senegalese lawyer, Juan Branco was detained on Sunday, in the early hours of the night, in a prison in the center of Dakar. Later that day, he was charged with assassination, conspiracy, spreading false news and acts and maneuvers likely to endanger public safety or cause serious political unrest. New charges of illegal residence and contempt of court were subsequently served on him.
Acts of attack are punishable in Senegal by penalties of up to life imprisonment, added Me Ciré Clédor Ly. “These charges betray the true nature of this procedure, which has no other purpose than to put an end to Juan Branco’s legal battles”, said his French lawyers. They announced the immediate referral to the UN working group on arbitrary detention against “this procedure seriously infringing on individual freedoms”.
3 – Released this Monday
After a second night of detention, Juan Branco came out of the cell and was placed on Monday August 7 under judicial supervision. He should be deported to France in the next few hours.
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“He was taken out of prison this morning (Monday) and presented to the judge who notified him of his placement under judicial supervision”Robin Binsard and Yassine Bouzrou, his lawyers in Paris, told AFP.
“He is in a police station to be taken to the airport. He is exhausted but relieved to be released”, added Robin Binsard. The information was confirmed by a senior source from the Ministry of Justice.
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At the same time, opponent Ousmane Sonko, still a candidate for the 2024 presidential election, was detained on Monday on various charges, including calling for an insurrection. His party was dissolved.
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