The Patriotes movement has raised the alarm over what it describes as a deliberate distortion of justice in Chad following the conviction of eight opposition leaders from the GCAP coalition.
During a high-profile press briefing held Wednesday at the party’s headquarters in Bololo, N’Djaména, spokesperson Hisseine Abdoulaye condemned the deteriorating political and security climate in the country. In a strongly worded statement, the party warned of a deepening crisis characterised by escalating insecurity, rising communal violence and a marked decline in civil liberties.
The Patriotes highlighted several alarming trends: the surge in Boko Haram attacks on Chadian military positions in the Lake Chad basin, violent clashes between communities in the east—particularly in Wadi Fira—which have already claimed dozens of lives, and the apparent failure of national security structures to contain these threats. These developments, the party argues, have fostered an atmosphere of instability and eroded public trust in state institutions.
The movement also accused authorities of imposing an increasingly authoritarian grip, citing the recent conviction of eight GCAP leaders to eight years in prison as a prime example of judicial overreach. The Patriotes compared this case to earlier incidents, including the killing of prominent activist Yaya Dillo and the detention of opposition figure Succès Masra, framing them as part of a coordinated strategy to silence dissent and dismantle political opposition.
According to the party’s analysis, the legal proceedings against the GCAP leaders were rushed through the courts, bypassing standard procedures. It accused the Attorney General, the Ministry of Territorial Administration and the Supreme Court of collaborating in what it called a politically motivated campaign to neutralise a dissolved coalition.
The Patriotes vehemently disputed each of the charges levelled against the convicted leaders—ranging from illegal assembly and criminal association to rebellion, insurrection and unauthorised weapons possession. The party argued that the prosecution’s case rests on flimsy or entirely fabricated evidence, labelling several accusations as groundless and politically motivated.
In a final appeal to the international community, human rights defenders and advocates of the rule of law, the movement demanded immediate and unconditional release of all eight detainees and other political prisoners. It also urged citizens to stand united, engage in dialogue and defend democratic values to prevent further escalation of political and security tensions in Chad.
