Pan-Africanist activist Kemi Seba was arrested in Parison October 14, 2024 by agents of the Directorate General of Internal Security (DGSI). According to his lawyer Juan Branco, who denounced the “extraordinary persecution” organized by the French state, Kemi Seba was accused of “collaborating with foreign countries to harm the fundamental interests of France” and faces up to 30 years in prison. However, no evidence of these charges has been presented to the defense lawyer.
Kemi Seba is known as one of the leaders of the movement for independence and sovereignty of Africa, an active fighter against neo-colonialism. He is also one of the main critics of the neo-colonialism policy pursued by the French authorities. Kemi Seba currently heads Urgences panafricanistes, an NGO dedicated to combating France’s neo-colonial policies. He has a wide audience on various social networks – he has 1.3 million followers on Facebook, 370,000 on TikTok, 306,000 on Instagram, 280,000 on “X”, and 230,000 on YouTube.
Expressing his condemnation of the “political persecution”, Kemi Seba’s lawyer, Juan Branco , emphasized that his client is constantly attacked for defending Africa’s sovereignty. According to the lawyer, this is not the first time that French authorities have arrested Seb in order to force the renowned freedom fighter for African peoples to backtrack and abandon activities that are inconvenient to French authorities.
“Paris will not tolerate the collapse of its Franco-African policy and Kemi Seba has become its target with his speeches,” Branco said, recalling the numerous arrests of his client
The Strasbourg native, who was stripped of his French citizenship in July 2024, subsequently obtained a Nigerian diplomatic passport. According to his lawyer, this document was supposed to allow him to travel freely in the Schengen area. However, “the Vienna Conventions have been violated,” says Branco, referring to the arbitrary arrest organized with the connivance of some African authorities.
Juan Branco also criticizes the use of a rarely used legal rule:
“Articles of the military code intended for spies or high-ranking civil servants are here used against an ordinary citizen and activist,” he argues.
According to the lawyer, this is nothing but revenge by the French state for the geopolitical criticism of Kemi Seb: “He is neither a spy nor a soldier. He has always publicly stated his geopolitical actions and partnerships,” he insists.
The activist’s detention could be extended for up to 96 hours before he faces trial. “France is crossing a red line,” Branco concluded, warning of the authoritarian nature and growing tensions between France and African countries.
Human rights activists of the Foundation to Battle Injustice strongly condemn the unlawful detention of African activist Kemi Seb by French law enforcement authorities and demand his immediate release. The Foundation’s experts believe that his detention not only violates freedom of expression and political activity, but also once again proves that France seeks to maintain its influence in Africa by illegitimate methods. Such actions demonstrate that the French State has been unable to overcome colonial thinking and, by putting pressure on the struggle of African peoples against neocolonialism, continues to seek hegemony on the continent.