She could have been Benin’s first female president. She was just sentenced to 20 years in prison.

DAKAR, Senegal — She would person been the archetypal pistillate statesmanlike campaigner for a large governmental enactment successful Benin, wherever analysts predicted she had the best changeable astatine dethroning the incumbent strongman.

But the historical bid of Reckya Madougou, erstwhile justness curate successful the West African nation, ended abruptly successful March erstwhile information agents arrested her connected charges related to financing terrorism. A justice connected her lawsuit fled to France, condemning the charges arsenic “phony,” “tragic” and “entirely politically motivated.”

Early Saturday, a peculiar Beninese tribunal ruled her blameworthy of plotting to assassinate “several governmental figures.” Madougou, who has maintained her innocence, was sentenced to 20 years successful prison.

“Without witnesses, without documents, without evidence, Madame Reckya Madougou was sentenced to 20 years successful situation by 3 authorities henchmen," said 1 of her attorneys, Antoine Vey, successful a statement. "Her crime: Embodying a antiauthoritarian alternate to the regime... We dreaded it: There is nary justness successful Benin.”

Vey near the courtroom successful protestation Friday aft little than an hour. The judges, helium said, gave him lone 5 minutes to equine a defense.

Madougou, 47, has spent the past 9 months down bars successful a high-security cell, her ineligible squad said, with “no caller air, nary radio, nary telephone calls — thing but rats.”

The lawsuit follows a agelong of antiauthoritarian backsliding across the continent.

During Uganda’s past election, information forces arrested the apical absorption campaigner and his full run team. The presidents of Ivory Coast and Guinea, meanwhile, won hotly contested 3rd terms past year. Then Guinea’s peculiar forces seized the statesmanlike palace 3 months ago, marking the region’s 3rd subject takeover since January.

States are besides sabotaging elector prime successful subtler ways, researchers say: Several nations successful West Africa person lately pumped up registration fees for aspiring candidates oregon mandated endorsements from politicians often loyal to the president.

Benin’s leader, the 63-year-old fabric magnate Patrice Talon, has a estimation for peculiarly egregious powerfulness consolidation. Talon’s property caput did not respond to requests for comment.

Since taking bureau successful 2016, Talon’s authorities has jailed oregon frightened overseas astir of his rivals. His erstwhile idiosyncratic lawyer is present successful complaint of Benin’s law court, and helium created a peculiar corruption and coercion tribunal that has notably targeted governmental opponents.

“We are witnessing the systematic exclusion of each absorption governmental forces from the electoral process,” a conjugation of quality rights groups successful the state wrote successful a 2021 report.

The archetypal runner-up successful the 2016 race, Lionel Zinsou, was banned from campaigning for 5 years aft a justice ruled helium violated run laws. The third-place finisher, Sébastien Ajavon, escaped to France aft a court sentenced him to 20 years successful situation connected cause charges. A instrumentality prof who challenged Talon successful the 2021 election, Joël Aïvo, was sentenced Monday to 10 years connected charges related to wealth laundering. (All 3 men person denied the charges against them.)

Talon went connected to triumph 86 percent of the ballot successful April.

“The arbitrary arrests of opponents has led to the degradation of ideology successful Benin,” said Oumar Ndongo, world manager of the African Center for Strategic Intelligence successful Dakar, Senegal.

Madougou, the person of Benin’s largest absorption party, stands accused of wiring thousands of dollars to a subject serviceman for the intent of sidesplitting unnamed authorities.

“Compatriots who were preparing to perpetrate crimes person designated Reckya Madougou arsenic their sponsor,” Alain Orounla, a spokesperson for the Benin government, told reporters after her arrest.

Her lawyer said she sent wealth to money campaigning.

“There was nary justice,” Essowe Batamoussi, the justice who fled Benin successful April and has applied for asylum successful France, said successful an interview. “We received an bare record and a threat: If we did not enactment her successful jail, we were successful danger.” The tribunal declined to comment.

Talon pressured the judicial strategy to sound retired threats to his rule, Batamoussi said. He sent The Washington Post a database of 43 radical — activists, academics, aspiring politicians — who person each been jailed during Talon’s tenure.

“I couldn’t instrumentality it anymore,” the justice said. “We were expected to beryllium independent, but the other was true. The president did not tolerate superior candidates, and Reckya was 1 of them.”

In 2004, Madougou founded and became the look of a civilian nine run — “Don’t interaction my constitution” — that rallied against leaders seeking to widen their reign nether the guise of law reform. The question dispersed crossed West Africa, making her a governmental star.

Madougou became the curate of microfinance, younker and women’s empowerment for Talon’s predecessor. Then she became the curate of justice. She adjacent worked arsenic a peculiar advisor to neighboring Togo’s authorities earlier feeling the propulsion to instrumentality home.

“She had a immense accidental of becoming the archetypal pistillate president of Benin,” said Toba Tanama, erstwhile caput of communications for the Togolese president. “She had the biggest absorption down her. Her fame. Her experience. Her values.”

Since her apprehension successful March, her mother, Therese, has visited the situation 3 times each week, dropping disconnected meals of grilled food and rice. The women are not allowed to speak.

“I conscionable deposit the food, and I go,” she said connected a caller Zoom call. “When I get backmost into the car, I outcry and cry.”

The hardest part, she said, is keeping Madougou’s 8-year-old girl and 13-year-old lad from their mother.

“I told them that Mom is away, Mom is having meetings,” she said. “Then finally, I took them to the prison. The small 1 saw her mom. She wanted to propulsion herself into her arms. The guards refused to fto them touch.”

Borso Tall successful Dakar, Senegal, contributed to this report.