His appearance at the press conference of Ousmane Sonko’s pool of lawyers was only fleeting. Juan Branco did not last in this face to face with the press where he had despite his short passage, to express himself on the judicial situation of Ousmane Sonko, this Sunday, July 30, 2023. He then got up to get rid of the journalists’ questions. The «mysteriously» French Spanish lawyer who entered Senegal was evacuated in extremis by his bodyguards in a black 4×4.
As a reminder, the lawyer was forbidden to come to Dakar. He held a press conference on Thursday, 22 June 2023 to deliver the contents of the indictment document against the State of Senegal sent to the ICC. He gave the charges. They have provided all the evidence and documents that have established the existence of sixty (60) crimes of murder considered crimes against humanity, several thousand crimes of imprisonment in violation of international law standards, many thousands of attacks on life and injuries and finally acts of persecution and other inhuman acts». Thus, according to him, these crimes, we have studied them individually independently of the work that had been conducted by international organizations. Amnesty International, Human Right Watch, the United Nations High Commission and the Senegalese Red Cross have all noted the existence of a particularly fierce repression aimed at using political violence to perpetuate power. These procedures are complementary to those conducted with the ICC and will be triggered in France so as not to depend on the power effects that influence the ICC. More than 4,500 pieces of verified evidence relating to the events since March 2021, of which 710 have been kept and are used as a 170-page communication medium that have been forwarded to the Icc, in particular to the Office of the Prosecutor, who are requested, without delay, a preliminary review and investigation based on these elements and to seize himself under section 13,” informs counsel.
112 targeted personalities
In response to Mr.Sidiki Kaba, the lawyer is unequivocal. We heard at a press conference where four members of the government tried to respond in advance to our arguments, that it was necessary for a state to seize the Icc; this is false. Any person, under Article 15, may transmit information to the Icc and the Office of the Prosecutor for consideration,” he said. Branco said 112 suspects are identified throughout the chain of command as individuals who will be held accountable for crimes they have committed, ordered, planned and executed,” the lawyer said.
France… accomplice
In his press conference, Sonko’s lawyer did not fail to cite France as an accomplice of the State of Senegal. France has done nothing to prevent the massacres in Senegal. But on the contrary, it provided him with weapons, it continued to support the regime, it continues today to welcome President Macky Sall. France has not even made a statement condemning these acts of the Sall regime. The States of Senegal and France are complicit and have committed crimes against humanity» concludes Me Juan Branco
