Senegal on Monday 31 July 2023 introduced that cellular knowledge was being restricted as a consequence of “hateful and subversive” messages on social media, following requires protests over the arrest Friday of opposition politician Ousmane Sonko.
The general public prosecutor on Saturday introduced seven new prices, together with calling for rebellion, towards Sonko, a presidential candidate and fierce critic of President Macky Sall.
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“Because of the dissemination of hateful and subversive messages on social networks… cellular knowledge web is being briefly suspended throughout sure hours from Monday, July 31”, the minister of Telecommunications and the Digital Financial system mentioned in an announcement.
Senegal opposition chief to interrogation schedule
Sonko was scheduled to be interrogated by a decide on Monday. The decide will then resolve whether or not or to not lay prices. There was a robust police presence, together with anti-riot autos and obstacles, across the courthouse within the capital Dakar on Monday morning, an AFP journalist reported.
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A heavy safety presence is also seen all through town. Cire Cledor Ly, one in all Sonko’s legal professionals, mentioned it was not possible for the defence crew to talk to or put together the politician for the listening to.
“It’s a scandal”, he advised reporters exterior the courtroom. In a separate affair, Sonko was on June 1 sentenced in absentia to 2 years in jail for morally corrupting a younger girl, which makes him ineligible to face in subsequent yr’s election.
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His sentencing, in that case, sparked clashes that left 16 useless, in accordance with the federal government, 24, in accordance with Amnesty Worldwide, and 30, in accordance with Sonko’s PASTEF celebration.
Sonko’s arrest had nothing to do with corruption proceedings
On Saturday, the prosecutor mentioned his arrest a day earlier had “nothing to do” with the ethical corruption proceedings. Sonko introduced Sunday that he was occurring a starvation strike and requested his supporters to “arise” and “resist… oppression”.
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He has confronted a string of authorized woes he claims are geared toward protecting him out of politics. On Monday, the opposition coalition Yewwi Askan Wi known as on residents to go en masse to the courthouse.
Within the early hours of Monday morning, the corporate working a toll freeway within the suburbs of Dakar mentioned on social media that protesters had blocked the highway. It later mentioned visitors had returned to regular.
sjd/amt/am/prc/gw© Agence France-Presse
