Senegal: dead in protests after the prison sentence of the opposition leader
After Senegalese opposition figure Osman Sonko was sentenced to two years in prison for "corrupting the youth", the Senegalese capital, Dakar, and a number of regions are witnessing violence.
Two police officials told "Agence France Presse" that 3 people were killed during demonstrations in Ziguinchor (south), noting that a policeman was stoned to death by young men on the outskirts of Dakar, and no official confirmed this information publicly.
In the evening, it was noted that there were restrictions that greatly impeded access to social networking sites.
"This situation is similar" to what Senegal witnessed in 2021 of bloody violence, "and it is likely to greatly limit people's ability to communicate," NetBlocks, an internet monitoring organization, told AFP.
Attorney Ousmane Thiam, who attended the hearing, explained that “corrupting the youth,” which includes hiring or encouraging the employment of a person under the age of 21, is a misdemeanor under Senegalese law, not a crime like rape.
Sonko would have been stripped of his electoral rights if he had been convicted in absentia of a crime such as rape.
However, the reclassification of the facts as a misdemeanor still under the electoral law appears to threaten Sonko's eligibility and ability to run for president in 2024.
Sonko came third in the 2019 elections.
Sonko, who did not attend the trial and took refuge in the south of the country, confirms that this case is a conspiracy orchestrated by the president, who denies this.
Since February 2021, when the alleged rape case hit the headlines, Sonko has been fighting a battle in the judiciary and the political arena to ensure his survival against President Macky Sall.
About 20 civilians have been killed since 2021 in disturbances largely related to his status, and the authority and his camp exchange accusations in this regard.
Senegal, which is considered a relatively stable country in a turbulent region despite some political problems, witnessed new clashes between Sonko's supporters and the security forces linked to his trial and then his return from the south of the country to Dakar on Friday.
He was able to mobilize the youth, but he was arrested on Sunday and forcibly returned to his home in the capital, where he was kept in the midst of a heavy police presence. Since then, the police have responded with tear gas or even arrest for any attempt to approach him.
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, Sonko announced that he was "detained" and called on Senegalese to demonstrate "in abundance".
Young men attacked and looted the homes of members of the republican camp. The response came with reprisals against the property of members of the opposition and Sonko's party.
President Sall promised, on Wednesday, firmness in the face of violence and decided to start a "national dialogue" that is supposed to reduce tension.
It is noteworthy that Sonko (48 years) is the head of the "Bastef" party and the leader of the opposition in Senegal, and he condemns the exploitation of the judiciary and making it a tool to achieve political ends. He also gives speeches stressing politics and belonging to Africa, and attacks elites and corruption.
He also criticizes the economic and political domination exercised by France and multinational corporations, and defends religious and traditional values, knowing that he is very popular among young people in Senegal.
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