Benin: RSF visits journalists Hugues Comlan Sossoukpè and Ali Moumouni in prison, renews call for their release

After more than a year in detention, Hugues Comlan Sossoukpè has visibly lost weight. The founder of investigative media outlet Olofofo was arrested and abducted in Côte d'Ivoire on 10 July 2025 before he was expelled to Benin in the absence of any legal procedure. Now, he is being held in worrying conditions.

RSF documented the conditions of his detention during a visit to Ouidah Civil Prison, around 40 kilometres from the city of Cotonou, on 30 September. Hugues Comlan Sossoukpè has neither a refrigerator to store his food nor a television or radio, leaving him without direct access to information despite his requests. The journalist also suffers from asthma and eye problems. Although he was able to see an ophthalmologist earlier this year, he has received no medical follow-up since. The journalist also faces security concerns in his cell, as there is no system to quickly alert prison officials in an emergency other than a simple whistle. In early October, one of his cellmates reportedly suffered a medical emergency and, according to RSF information, prison guards did not intervene for an hour.

After several months in isolation, during which he was not allowed to leave his cell, he is now permitted to spend a few hours a week in the prison yard and receive visitors. These visits remain highly restricted. At the time of writing, only his wife had a regular visiting permit, despite requests from other family members. Visits from outsiders are limited to five-minute exchanges. According to his lawyer, Me Serge Pognon, who met with RSF, the journalist's application for provisional release, filed on 6 August 2026, was rejected on 24 August.

RSF also visited Ali Moumouni, a former Canal 3 journalist who is accused of collaborating with Olofofo. He is being held at Cotonou Prison in concerning conditions, sharing a cell of around 16 square metres with eight other prisoners. He eats very little and, like Sossoukpè, has no refrigerator to store his food.

The two journalists are being prosecuted for "harassment via electronic communications", "incitement to violence and rebellion" and "apology for terrorism" in connection with their journalistic work. A refugee in Togo targeted by threats, Hugues Comlan Sossoukpè was arrested on 10 July 2025 in Abidjan, the capital of Côte d'Ivoire, where he was visiting to cover a regional trade fair, and illegally handed over to the Beninese authorities. RSF denounced this by filing a complaint before the Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). Ali Moumouni was arrested in Cotonou on 16 July 2025, six days after Hugues Comlan Sossoukpè was abducted. His arrest is reportedly linked to his collaboration with Olofofo.

During its visit to Cotonou, the RSF delegation also met with the Minister of Communication in Charge of Media, Aurélie Adam Soulé Zoumarou, and presented its main recommendations for improving press freedom. The NGO notably called for the cases of Hugues Comlan Sossoukpè and Ali Moumouni to be expedited so that their trials can be held as soon as possible and lead to their release.

RSF also called for the lifting of suspensions targeting independent media outlets, notably Reporter Médias Monde, which has been suspended since January 2025 despite the administrative steps the outlet has taken to return to its operations. The NGO also called for reforming the Digital Code, which currently allows journalists to be prosecuted and imprisoned for content published online, even though press offences have been decriminalised in Benin.

The delegation also presented the Minister with the Declaration on the Right to Information in the Sahel and called on Benin to support reliable information by endorsing its ten guiding principles.

Benin ranks 113th out of 180 countries in the RSF 2026 World Press Freedom Index, down 21 places from 2025.