On Wednesday, a court in Bangui granted provisional release to Crepin Mboli-Goumba, a prominent opposition leader in the Central African Republic (CAR).
His defamation hearing was adjourned until the following week. CAR, deemed one of the world’s four least developed nations by the United Nations, frequently faces criticism from international human rights groups for its harsh measures against opposition forces.
Mboli-Goumba, a lawyer and coordinator for the BRDC opposition forum against President Faustin Archange Touadera, appeared before the high court, confronting charges of defamation and contempt of court after spending three days in detention.
After his lawyers sought to have the case dismissed, presiding judge Matthieu Nana Bibi told the hearing the defendant “is released provisionally on condition he does not leave Bangui.”
“I prepared myself mentally for everything that might happen in his trial, while condemning the breakdown in Central African justice,” Mboli Goumba told the court.
He left the room to cheers and shouts of “freed, freed” from a handful of supporters to go to sign his release papers.
Mboli-Goumba, the leader of the PATRIE party and a US citizen, was apprehended on Sunday as he prepared to board a flight to Cameroon from Bangui airport.
The arrest followed comments he made during a February 20 press conference, where he accused certain magistrates of corruption, a charge he reiterated in a subsequent radio interview, claiming that “justice is no longer served in the name of the people.”
In the Central African Republic (CAR), opposition gatherings are routinely prohibited, and non-government politicians face threats and intimidation, as highlighted by various NGOs.
Opposition MP Dominique Yandocka, despite having parliamentary immunity, has been in custody since December 15, accused of an attempted coup, with the details of the accusation remaining undisclosed.
Human Rights Watch, based in New York, criticised President Touadera’s regime last year, stating that it “is repressing civil society, media, and opposition political parties.” The organisation urged the regime to ensure the independence of the justice system.
