The Senegalese government had been searching for Juan Branco for a few days. He is a member of the legal team for opponent Ousmane Sonko.
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| Juan Branco |
Lawyer Juan Branco, who is notorious for his public outbursts, was detained by Senegalese officials on Saturday. While the nation had been gripped by violent conflict in recent weeks, the Franco-Spanish had been sought after for a number of days.
At the border with Senegal, he was detained by the Mauritanian authorities before being turned over to the Dakar government.
Juan Branco, who was reportedly travelling from Senegal to Mauritania in a canoe while dressed as a fisherman, was detained, according to Senegalese media. The lawyer would have unlawfully entered Senegalese territory a few days earlier, according to Le Monde.
According to Juan Branco's attorneys, their client intended to travel to Mauritania "to avoid the political persecution which had been promised to him in Senegal."
Juan Branco is a member of the legal team representing Ousmane Sonko, the rival locked in a power struggle since 2021. Early in June, major rioting in the nation as a result of Ousmane Sonko's two-year prison term in a morals case claimed dozens of lives.
After that, Juan Branco accused the president of Senegal, Macky Sall, of "crimes against humanity" in France and asked the ICC in The Hague to open an inquiry.
On July 14, the Senegalese public prosecutor's office declared that a judicial inquiry had been launched against him, and that an arrest warrant had been obtained. Early in July, President Macky Sall declared he would not run for reelection.
By abruptly entering Dakar at a news conference of the Senegalese attorneys for Ousmane Sonko, who had been detained two days prior, Juan Branco produced a surprise last Sunday. Since then, the opponent has been detained on a number of counts, including inciting rebellion.
Source: RTL/Le Monde