Burkina Faso: legal expert and rights advocate Ini Benjamine Esther Doli remains in arbitrary detention

The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a collaboration between the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), has received updated reports regarding the judicial situation of Ini Benjamine Esther Doli in Burkina Faso.

Overview of the situation:

The Observatory has been alerted to the sentencing and continued arbitrary imprisonment of Me Ini Benjamine Esther Doli, a prominent lawyer and human rights defender. Before joining the Burkina Faso Bar Association in July 2024, she served as a former substitute prosecutor in Bobo-Dioulasso and a government commissioner at the Administrative Court of Ouagadougou.

During a closed-door hearing on November 10, 2025, the High Court of Ouagadougou found Me Doli guilty of “insulting the head of state” and “attempting to demoralize the armed forces.” These charges were based on opinions she shared on her Facebook account. Consequently, she was sentenced to one year in prison and ordered to pay a fine of 1,000,000 F.CFA. Although she was acquitted of “treason” due to lack of evidence, she remains in custody at the Ouagadougou civil prison. Her legal team has filed an appeal against the conviction.

The circumstances of her arrest are deeply concerning. On the night of August 31, 2025, armed men claiming to be from the national gendarmerie abducted Me Ini Benjamine Esther Doli from her residence in Ouagadougou. This occurred shortly after she returned from an international trip and posted a message on social media comparing the current political climate to the era of Thomas Sankara, criticizing the lack of judicial process and the use of force against the population.

Me Doli frequently used social media to highlight violations of freedom of expression, including the intimidation and kidnapping of citizens who advocate for justice. She also criticized the systemic failures of the Burkinabè judiciary, pointing out the constant interference with the independence of the magistracy and the lack of protection for those defending human rights. In one post, she described the use of state-funded weapons to silence and terrorize the public as an act of cowardice.

This case mirrors the treatment of other activists, such as Guy Hervé Kam, a lawyer and co-founder of Balai citoyen, who remains in arbitrary detention following his arrest in early 2024. These events take place within a broader context of repression targeting civil society and journalists in Burkina Faso. Recent months have seen numerous abductions, including those of Amadou Sawadogo, Miphal Ousmane Lankoandé, and several journalists like Atiana Serge Oulon, some of whom remain missing.

The Observatory strongly condemns the sentencing of Me Ini Benjamine Esther Doli, viewing it as a direct punishment for her legitimate work in human rights and her exercise of free speech. We call upon the military authorities in Burkina Faso to grant her immediate and unconditional release and to cease all forms of harassment against her and other activists in the country.

Required Actions:

The Observatory urges the military leadership in Burkina Faso to:

• Ensure the physical and psychological safety of Me Ini Benjamine Esther Doli and all human rights defenders in the country.
• Immediately release Me Ini Benjamine Esther Doli and all others held arbitrarily.
• Conduct transparent investigations into the abductions and enforced disappearances of activists and journalists.
• Uphold international human rights standards, specifically regarding the freedom of association and expression as guaranteed by the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

We encourage the international community to contact the relevant authorities, including the President of the MPSR II, the Prime Minister, and the Minister of Justice, to demand respect for fundamental liberties in Burkina Faso.