Steve Amoussou Case: a double appeal revives the procedure before the CRIET
Sentenced on June 2, 2025, to two years in prison and fined two million CFA francs, Beninese cyber-activist Steve Amoussou might be facing legal proceedings again.
Steeve Amoussou;@: La nouvelle tribune
The Court for the Repression of Economic Offenses and Terrorism (CRIET), which passed this sentence, now sees the file reopened due to an appeal lodged by both parties.
According to information reported by Bip Radio, both the public prosecutor of the CRIET and Steve Amoussou’s defense have appealed against the verdict of first instance. However, the validity of these appeals raises questions. A defense lawyer, quoted by the same source, affirms that the two appeals were introduced outside the legal period of 15 days, a mandatory period provided by the penal procedure code. If this irregularity was confirmed by the appeals chamber, it could lead to the pure and simple inadmissibility of the appeals.
Despite this procedural uncertainty, the procedure has now been reopened and should lead to a new trial before the competent chamber of the CRIET. To date, no hearing date has been set, but this legal turn of events already attracts the attention of observers, as the file crystallizes tensions around online freedom of expression and the treatment of cyber-activists in Benin.
Back to the facts
Steve Amoussou, also known under the pseudonym “Steve the Beninese”, is an active figure in cyber-activism. He was arrested in August 2024 in Togo, as part of an international pursuit warrant issued by the Beninese authorities. Following a repatriation procedure, he was extradited and placed under a detention warrant at the CRIET.
The public prosecutor accused him of disseminating fake informations, incitement to revolt and electronic harassment, facts related to several publications deemed subversive on social networks. The investigators pointed out content with a strong political tone, critical of certain authorities, and likely to disturb public order according to the prosecution.
In the hearing on June 2, 2025, the special court upheld the charges and sentenced him to two years in prison and a fine of two million CFA francs. A decision immediately criticized by human rights defenders, some seeing it as an attack on freedom of opinion.