Senegal: freedom of expression undermined by myriad arrests

Prosecuted on the basis of controversial articles of the penal code, several Senegalese personalities have recently been summoned by the police for criticizing Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, as reported by Le Monde on July 10th. 

Summons by the police and judicial proceedings against journalists or opponents are multiplying in Senegal. On July 8th, the director of the Avenir Communication media group, Madiambal Diagne, was summoned by the police. The subject of the summon: a message posted on his X account around the Adji Sarr case, named after the young woman who accused the current Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko, of rape in 2023. He went free but the following day, columnist Badara Gadiaga was summoned, then placed in police custody, for remarks on the same subject. Known for his polemical tone, the writer made disparaging comments about the Prime Minister during a television program.

A third personality, activist Ardo Gningue, was also to be summoned on July 8th for a post on Facebook, again on the same subject. Gningue had already been arrested in March and detained for about ten days. He was convicted of “proposals contrary to good morals” and sentenced to two years in prison with a suspended sentence. On this occasion he not appear at the summons to the investigators of the Special Cybersecurity Division and is now the subject of a wanted notice.

The threat of imprisonment by government authorities in Senegal is emblematic of the country’s shift away from democracy. This year, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Court of Justice ruled against Senegal for internet shutdowns and restrictions on social media, as well as the patterns of judicial pursuit of journalists.

Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, were urged in March this year to rejoin ECOWAS after the three countries founded their own Sahel States Alliance. As reports of democratic backsliding in Africa materialize, the need for countries to come together and maintain checks and balances is paramount.

Le Monde, Maghrebi.org