A French-Comoran woman has been detained in the Comoros for a week over an online video criticising a close associate of President Azali Assoumani, according to her lawyer.
Mze Said Said Fatima, 54, has been formally charged with disseminating false news, discrediting institutions, and harming an individual’s reputation, her lawyer Djamal El-dine Bacar revealed.
Bacar described the charges as “exaggerated” and argued that they do not warrant her prolonged detention. Fatima has already been in custody for seven days, exceeding the legal maximum of 48 hours before charges must be filed, since her arrest in the capital, Moroni, on July 23.
Her detention followed a complaint by Youssoufa Mohamed Ali, the presidential delegate responsible for defence, who is closely linked to Assoumani. The complaint is related to a video Fatima posted online after the contentious January elections, where she criticises Ali and the government’s “dictatorship.”
In the video, Fatima, a mother of four residing on the French island of Reunion, accuses Ali and the Comorian regime of “atrocities,” stating, “I’ll be coming to the Comoros in July, and when I get there, I’ll have to be arrested, but I’m not afraid of you.”
Fatima is among many Comorans living abroad who have contested Assoumani’s re-election, which followed deadly protests and accusations of increasing authoritarianism.
The Comorian government has stated that it does not interfere in judicial matters, while the French embassy in Moroni confirmed it is providing consular protection in compliance with Comorian sovereignty.