Amnesty International condemns social media suspension in Senegal

Amnesty International condemned Senegalese authorities Friday for restricting social media networks following protests against the sentencing of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko to a two-year jail term.

Police used tear gas late Thursday to disperse deadly protests that erupted in the national capital of Dakar and other towns after Sonko, president of the PASTEF-Patriots party, was sentenced for corrupting the youth.

The government was prompted to suspend social media networks to control and maintain law and order in the West African country.

Samira Daoud, Amnesty International's regional director for West and Central Africa, said in a statement that the restriction on social media was an attack on freedom of expression.

"We condemn the restrictions on access to social media by the Senegalese authorities in the face of violent protests. These restrictions on the right to freedom of expression and information constitute arbitrary measures contrary to international law, and cannot be justified by security reasons," she said.

Meanwhile, Abdourahmane Diouf, the leader of the opposition Awale party, believes Sonko's case is politically motivated.

The case is a result of "phobia" of political competition and President Macky Sall is "using justice as an instrument to eliminate Sonko from the presidential race," Diouf, who declared his candidacy in next year's presidential election, told Anadolu.

The leader of the opposition Rewmi party, Idrissa Seck, urged national unity in a letter addressed to Sall.

"Today, we have an urgency: to restore order and to give our full support to our valiant defense and security forces, in charge of restoring order and serenity in our streets, without brutality, a very difficult exercise in the face of threats," said Seck, a former minister who quit Sall's government to run for the presidency.

Souleymane Ndiaye, the head of the organization for the Promotion and Development of Coasts and Tourist Zones of Senegal (SAPCO), called on all sides to exercise restraint."

Ndiaye urged the state "to take its responsibilities to ensure the security of people and property and to arrest those who sow terror."

At least nine people were killed in clashes, and public and private properties were vandalized in Senegal following the sentencing of Sonko.

Interior Minister Antoine Felix Diome said at a news conference in Dakar that the deaths occurred in the city and southern Ziguinchor.

"We have noted with regret the violence that has resulted in the destruction of public and private property and, unfortunately, nine deaths," he said. He did not, however, identify the victims or describe the circumstances of their deaths.

Justice Minister Ismaila Madior Fall told reporters that Sonko could be arrested at any time.

Sonko was charged with rape and making death threats against Adji Sarr, an employee of a beauty salon in Dakar in 2021.

The opposition leader denied the charges and boycotted the trial twice last month, however, Dakar High Court Judge Issa Ndiaye decided to proceed in absentia.

On Thursday, the court acquitted Sonko of the rape charges but sentenced him to two years for corrupting the youth, disqualifying him from running in the presidential elections.

Sonko finished third in the 2019 election against Sall, but during the trial, he said the case against him is politically motivated to prevent him from running in 2024.

During Friday's news conference, Diome said the government has decided to "temporarily suspend access to certain digital applications and social networks used to incite violence and hatred, which could exacerbate the already tense situation."

He urged calm, assuring the nation that the government has taken necessary measures to ensure the safety of people and property.

In March, Sonko was sentenced to six months in prison, which was suspended, for defamation and insults directed at Tourism Minister Mame Mbaye Niang.

In 2021, Senegal witnessed violent protests after Sonko was arrested for alleged rape.