On Tuesday, political activist and journalist Idrissa Barry was arrested in
Ouagadougou by unidentified men claiming to be gendarmes. Barry, the national
secretary of the opposition party SENS, was taken away in an unmarked car while
attending a meeting. His colleagues were unable to locate him at any police or
gendarmerie station, and authorities denied ordering his arrest.
The arrest comes just days after SENS condemned alleged attacks by government
forces and allied militias against civilians in western Burkina Faso. Human Rights
Watch reviewed footage implicating these militias in a massacre. The military
junta, in power since 2022, has been accused of silencing dissent and forcibly
conscripting opposition figures into militias.
There are concerns that Barry may be unlawfully forced into militia service. His
disappearance is a serious human rights violation, and authorities must disclose his
whereabouts and release him immediately.
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