Beninese journalist Angela Kpeïdja was sentenced to 24 months in prison, with 12 months to be served, for Facebook posts related to the attempted coup d’état of December 7, 2025.
On July 6, 2026, the Court for the Repression of Economic Offences and Terrorism (CRIET) found Kpeïdja guilty of harassment via electronic communication and sentenced her to 24 months in prison.
Of this term, the court ordered that she serve 12 months without parole (with no legal option for early or conditional release), with the remaining 12 months suspended. She was also fined two million CFA francs (USD 3,500), and the court ordered the seizure of her cell phone and one of her laptops.
The ruling comes nearly two months after the prosecution’s sentencing request. On May 11, 2026, the special prosecutor at the CRIET had requested a two-year prison sentence, including one year to be served without parole, along with a fine of one million CFA francs (USD 1,763.36).
The charges were brought under Article 550 of the Digital Code, which prescribes a sentence of up to two years in prison for harassment via electronic communication.
The charges stemmed from two Facebook posts Kpeïdja made on December 7, 2025, in which she questioned the absence of certain security officials during the alleged coup attempt. Her defense argued that the posts were protected under freedom of expression and requested her acquittal.
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) condemns the court’s decision as a violation of freedom of expression. We reiterate our call on Parliament to revise Article 550 of the Digital Code in line with the commitment Benin made during its 2023 Universal Periodic Review.
