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Title	Benin: Repercussions (arrests, charges, imprisonment), for those who took part in the April 1991 demonstrations against an amnesty granted to former President Mathieu Kérékou
Publisher	Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
Country	Benin
Publication Date	1 July 1992
Citation / Document Symbol	BEN11289
Cite as	Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Benin: Repercussions (arrests, charges, imprisonment), for those who took part in the April 1991 demonstrations against an amnesty granted to former President Mathieu Kérékou, 1 July 1992, BEN11289, available at: http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/docid/3ae6ac570.html [accessed 26 May 2012]
Disclaimer	This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Benin: Repercussions (arrests, charges, imprisonment), for those who took part in the April 1991 demonstrations against an amnesty granted to former President Mathieu Kérékou

On 30-31 March 1991, the High Council of the Republic (HCR) passed an amnesty law for former President Mathieu Kérékou (Afrique contemporaine 1991, 87; Africa Research Bulletin 1-30 Apr. 1991, 10079). The law granted Kérékou judiciary immunity, specifying that he "will not be able to appear before any court, either as a witness, an accomplice or an instigator" and that the new law "cannot be lifted by any other law" (Africa Research Bulletin 1-30 Apr. 1991, 10079).

Demonstrators who protested against the 1991 amnesty granted to Kérékou have been arrested, according to Amnesty International (The Christian Science Monitor 13 July 1992). At the end of April 1991, students demonstrated in protest against the "criminal silence of the authorities," and as a result, the National University of Benin was closed down (Africa Research Bulletin 1-31 May 1991, 10148). Also, Kérékou's supporters committed acts of violence against Southerners who voted for Soglo in the March-April 1991 presidential elections (West Africa 8-14 Apr. 1991, 520; Ibid. 1-7 Apr. 1991, 493; Africa Research Bulletin 1-31 July 1991, 10207).

References

Africa Research Bulletin [London]. 1-31 July 1991. "Kerekou's Henchmen Will be Judged," p. 10207.

. 1-31 May 1991. "Benin University Re-opens," p. 10418.

. 1-30 April 1991. "Kerekou Amnestied," p. 10079.

Afrique contemporaine [Paris]. 3rd Quarter 1991. No. 159. "Bénin," p. 87.

The Christian Science Monitor [Boston]. 13 July 1992. P. Grier. "Amnesty International Criticizes Amnesty Laws." (NEXIS)

West Africa [London]. 8-14 April 1991. "Benin: Kerekou's Negotiated Exit," p. 520.

. 1-7 April 1991. "Kérékou Loses," p. 493.

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