Benin withdraws its Declaration to  African court of human and people’s Rights

Benin announced Thursday the withdrawal of its Declaration to the Protocol establishing the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR).

According to the Government Spokesperson, Alain Orounla, Benin has decided to withdraw its Declaration in the face of repeated actions by the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights that attempt to disrupt the country’s constitutional order.

By this decision, Benin prevents its citizens from directly referring to the ACHPR, the spokesman said.

He clarified that Benin remains a member of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

The withdrawal of Benin’s Declaration to the Protocol comes at a time when the country has accumulated a number of orders from the African Court of Human Rights without executing them.

The most recent is the one ordering the Beninese state to suspend the organization of the 2020 communal elections following a request by the opponent Sébastien Ajavon.