Benin: Alassane Tigri, former Minister of Sports, arrested at his home

At this stage, the motives for this arrest have not been officially communicated by the competent authorities. No judicial notification nor public statement has clarified the legal framework of the proceedings against the former minister.

This arrest takes place in a particularly sensitive security and political context. Since the coup d’État on December 7, several arrests have been recorded, notably affecting political actors. Among them is a deputy from the party Les Démocrates, the same party to which Alassane Tigri also belongs.

For now, no element allows establishing a formal link between the arrest of the former minister and the events linked to this attempted destabilization. The authorities’ silence, however, fuels questions, in a climate where the opposition regularly denounces a hardening of practices against it.

The Les Démocrates party has not yet issued an official statement, while public opinion remains waiting for clarifications on a case that rekindles the debate over the state of political freedoms and the respect for due process guarantees in Benin.