This archive report was first published on 2 August 2019.
On August 2, 2019, a court in Benin handed a suspended six-month jail term to Lionel Zinsou, a top opposition politician, over campaign breaches and banned him from standing for elections for five years.
Former prime minister Zinsou, who lives in France, was found guilty of using false documents and exceeding spending limits in his 2016 bid for the West African nation's presidency.
The judgement is the latest in a string of legal setbacks for rivals of President Patrice Talon, whom critics accuse of cracking down on opponents.
