Gabon’s deposed President Ali Bongo and his two sons have begun a hunger strike, claiming they are being subjected to “acts of torture and barbarity,” according to the family’s lawyers.
In a statement, their lawyers claimed that both Sylvia and Noureddin were beaten and strangled while in detention.
The ousted president, aged 64, had led the oil-rich country since 2009, succeeding his father, who had been in power for over 40 years.
Bongo was ousted in a military coup last year. On August 30th, Minutes after the state electoral commission declared President Ali Bongo had won a third term, a group of top Gabonese military officials came on national television early on Wednesday and said they had taken power.
They dissolved state institutions, including the Senate, National Assembly and Constitutional Court. Since then, he and his sons, Jalil and Bilal, have been confined to their home in the capital, Libreville.
The junta has also imprisoned Ali Bongo’s wife, Sylvia Bongo, and their eldest son, Noureddin, who are awaiting trial on corruption charges.
In a statement, their lawyers claimed that both Sylvia and Noureddin were beaten and strangled while in detention, BBC reported.
They further alleged that Noureddin was tortured, whipped, and “even electrocuted with a taser.”
Gabonese authorities have not yet commented on these allegations.
The ousted president, aged 64, had led the oil-rich country since 2009, succeeding his father, who had been in power for over 40 years.
The family’s lawyers have also filed a complaint with the Paris judicial court, just a week before Gabon’s junta leader, Gen Brice Oligui Nguema, is scheduled to visit France.
