Gabon faces 'torture' case in France

Lawyers on Wednesday launched a suit in France accusing the Gabonese Government of committing ‘crimes against humanity’ following the disputed presidential election last month. The suit claims Libreville ‘plotted to carry out arbitrary arrests and detentions... torture and barbarous acts, attempted murder and crimes against humanity,’ lawyer William Bourdon told a Paris news conference. A report on the News24 site notes that the former French colony was plunged into an unprecedented political crisis after incumbent President Ali Bongo was declared the winner of the 27 August poll by just 6 000 votes. The report notes that the lawyers invoked universal jurisdiction, which allows states to rule on serious crimes regardless of where the wrongdoing was committed.

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