2/7/2025–|Last update: 12:58 (Mecca time)
On Monday, the former Gabonese President, Ali Bongo, appeared in front of an investigation judge in the French capital, Paris, to listen to him as part of a complaint he submitted against the military authorities that toppled him in August 2023, accusing her of committing severe violations against his family and his family members.
The complaint, which was presented in May 2024, included accusations of arbitrary detention, torture and brutal acts, as his lawyer confirmed that their client was detained with his family in a closed cellar for 18 months, without allowing them to leave, and during that period they were subjected to severe treatment, which included simulation of drowning, electric shock, and suffocation, along with food deprivation.
The defense team indicated that the Pongo family was placed in house arrest in the capital, Libeville, after the coup, before they left the country in May 2025 to Angola.
The complaint also includes his wife, Silvia and his sons, Noureddine, Bilal and Jalil, as civilian parties, that is, direct victims in the case.
A family lawyer explained that the harsh treatment they were subjected to aimed at pressuring them to sign documents related to their personal property.
The Crime Court against Humanity in Paris is considering the case, after the French judicial authorities opened a preliminary investigation last January against unknown persons, against the background of what possible crimes against humanity were considered.
On the other hand, the transitional authorities in Gabon denied any violations, and confirmed that the trials of Silvia Bongo and Nour al -Din will take place in Libeville, even if they are absent from the country.
It is noteworthy that the Bongo family assumed the ruling in Gabon for more than 5 decades, starting from the era of former President Omar Bongo, through his son Ali, who was overthrown by the army after an election that sparked widespread controversy in the country.
