Sassoufit Collective calls for justice and immediate release

On 16 June 2025, the ninth anniversary of the imprisonment of Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko, former Chief of General Staff and presidential security advisor under President Denis Sassou Nguesso. He has now spent nine years in prison, making him the longest-serving political prisoner in the country’s history.

Shortly after the election, Mokoko was arrested in June 2016. He was held in pre-trial detention and tried by a special court. On 11 May 2018, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison for “endangering internal state security” and illegal arms possession. Human rights observers criticized the trial as unfair and politically motivated.

In November 2018, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention ruled that Mokoko’s detention was arbitrary under Categories I, II, and III (no legal basis, punishment for political opinions, and violations of due process). This UN opinion underscores the illegitimacy of his incarceration and the breaches of fundamental rights it involves.

Mokoko’s case is not isolated. Other opposition figures in Congo have faced similar injustices. For example, former minister André Okombi Salissa was arrested in January 2017 and sentenced in March 2019 to 20 years of hard labor on charges of undermining state security. Another activist, Audrey Lelo, remains imprisoned under contested circumstances. These prolonged political incarcerations undermine Congo’s international commitments to democracy and human rights.

After nine years of arbitrary detention, Jean-Marie Mokoko must be released immediately. The Sassoufit Collective reiterates its demand for justice: his conviction must be overturned, and he should be freed without delay. We also call for the release of all political prisoners in Congo, including André Okombi Salissa and Audrey Lelo. The Congolese authorities, as a signatory to international conventions, must respect the UN conclusions and end these unlawful detentions.