Senegal: Opposition leader Ousmane Sonko faces new charges

This Monday, all eyes are on the Tribunal de Grande Instance in Dakar, where the leader of Pastef, Ousmane Sonko, has been since his arrest on Friday for “theft and calling for insurrection”. The main opponent of President Macky Sall faces the Dean of the judges.

His lawyers, present at the Timis temple since Monday morning, were denied access. Only Me Ciré Clédor Ly managed to see his client after having had the agreement of the judge. “I found my client calm. He was reading the Koran quietly. I have never seen a person who had so much faith,” the lawyer said after his meeting with Sonko.

The counsel denounced the fact that his other colleagues in the pool of lawyers were not allowed to see Ousmane Sonko. Me Clédor Ly who speaks of “a situation of non-law”, demanded from the prosecution that his client can “have all his lawyers to assist him during the hearing”.

At the same time, the Senegalese Ministry of Communication, Telecommunications and Digital Economy announced the “temporary suspension” of the Internet of mobile data on certain time slots from this Monday “in a context of threat of Disruptions to Audience Orders”.

In a press release published on Monday, the Senegalese Ministry of Communication justifies this decision by “hateful and subversive messages” relayed on social networks “in a context of threat of disturbing public order”. “Mobile data internet is temporarily suspended on certain time slots from Monday, July 31,” the statement said.

This measure comes at a time when the opponent Ousmane Sonko, who has been in police custody since Friday, is presented on Monday before the investigating judge of the Dakar court for “calling for insurrection” and other crimes and misdemeanors. The judge will decide whether or not to retain the charges against him.

The list of charges against Sonko includes calling for insurrection, undermining state security, criminal association in connection with a terrorist enterprise, conspiracy against state authority, acts aimed at compromising public security and creating serious political disturbances and theft. He was arrested on Friday for having "violently stolen the mobile phone of a female gendarme" and for having "immediately called on the population, by a subversive message leaked on social networks, to be ready", according to the city prosecutor's office. . . Republic.

The government took a similar step by suspending the internet in June, during protests that erupted in Dakar and Ziguinchor after Ousmane Sonko was sentenced to two years in prison for “youth corruption” in the “rape” case. and death threats” which pitted him against the masseuse Adji Sarr.