Members of the Transformers party, who were supposed to be part of the internal security detail for the anticipated return of their leader, Succès Masra, on October 18, were arrested by the police while exercising on a field in N’Djamena.
As a result, 72 individuals have been in police custody since October 8, 2023. The Transformers and their legal representatives accuse the authorities of violating their rights.
Today, one of the national secretaries of the Transformers party denounces the conditions labeled as “inhumane” in which the 72 activists are detained. They are crammed into a single cell at the general intelligence service in N’Djamena, according to Tog-Yeum Nagorngar.
Tog-Yeum Nagorngar explains, “They sleep on the floor, with no mosquito nets. Their food is boiled beans with water and salt. When their family or friends bring them food, they are denied access. Since yesterday, they’ve decided not to eat, and no one can reach them, not their family, nor their lawyers.”
The group of lawyers assembled to defend them reports numerous procedural violations. For the past three days, one of the lawyers says, “We’ve been passed around from one department to another, from the general intelligence service to the Minister of Public Security’s office, through the offices of the Attorney General.”
The activists are suspected of undergoing military training. “They told us they have evidence that the 72 opposition members were undergoing military training when they were arrested on Sunday while jogging on a sports field in N’Djamena,” explains the attorney, who questioned how “jogging” could be considered a “crime.”