French-Spanish lawyer Juan Branco, who was wanted in Senegal, was charged and imprisoned Sunday morning in Dakar after being arrested in neighboring Mauritania, lawyers said.
Me Branco refused to drink and eat, and 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 on his arrival in the capital after his transfer from Mauritania.
His French lawyers declared his condition “worrying”, in a press release.
The judge charged him with attack, conspiracy, dissemination of false news and acts and maneuvers likely to compromise public security or cause serious political unrest, said Me Ciré Clédor Ly as well as Me Branco’s Parisian lawyers.
Later Sunday, new charges, of illegal residence and contempt of court, were served on him, reported his Parisian lawyers, Mes Robin Binsard, Luc Brossollet and François Gibault.
The acts of attack are punishable by penalties of up to life imprisonment, added Me Ciré Clédor Ly.
Juan Branco was taken into custody in a prison in central Dakar in the early hours of Sunday, he said.
“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 prejudicial to individual freedoms”.
Me Branco made a name for himself in Senegal by taking part in the defense of Ousmane Sonko, an opponent engaged since 2021 in a showdown with power and justice which has given rise to several episodes of deadly violence.
The Franco-Spanish lawyer particularly attracted attention by announcing a complaint in France and a referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague against President Macky Sall for “crimes against humanity” in June, while the country had just experienced its worst turmoil in years.
He has been targeted since mid-July by a Senegalese judicial investigation which announced the issuance of an arrest warrant.
After his surreptitious entry into the territory of Senegal, where he appeared alongside Mr. Sonko’s Senegalese lawyers on July 30, Mr. Branco was arrested in Mauritania after several days of research, and handed over to the Senegalese authorities.
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.
Me Branco says he was “kidnapped” about 100 km from the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott by hooded men without any distinctive sign and who injured his wrists, according to Me Ciré Clédor Ly.
Me Branco’s French lawyers have challenged the conditions of his transfer to the Senegalese authorities, which “taint the procedure” and his continued detention.
According to them, their colleague was arrested on board 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.
Opponent Ousmane Sonko, candidate for the 2024 presidential election, was detained on Monday on various charges, including calling for insurrection. His party was dissolved.
08/06/2023 19:56:21 – Dakar (AFP) – © 2023 AFP