Former Prime Minister Bilie-By-Nze's 100th day in detention raises concerns about judicial process in Gabon
One hundred days have passed since the incarceration of former Gabonese Prime Minister Bilie-By-Nze, an opposition figure, who was imprisoned on April 16, 2026, at Libreville's central prison. The article highlights a "secret grammar of judicial power" where the first day belongs to the prosecutor, the tenth to lawyers, and the thirtieth to the judge. However, the hundredth day, which occurred on July 25, 2026, is described as belonging to no one, becoming a silent trial without hearings or pleas. The defense claims that the judge no longer possesses either the original or a copy of the case file, an assertion that remains unverified but publicly stated. The article suggests that if this claim is true, the process is a "legal fiction" holding Bilie-By-Nze hostage. If inaccurate, the solution is for the institution to produce the file and demonstrate that the investigation is progressing. The author argues that when detention extends without a clear horizon, it transforms from an antechamber of judgment into its substitute, with the cell becoming the verdict and time the sentence. The article concludes that the hundredth day is a critical point where silence itself becomes an admission, and that while justice can take its time, it cannot take all the time it wants, especially when the investigation is no longer transparent.
