Senegal: demonstration in defense of the press after the arrest of Pape Alé Niang
Audio 01:23
A hundred journalists participated in a march in Dakar, Friday, November 18, 2022, to demand the release of their colleague Pape Alé Niang.
© Charlotte Idrac/RFI
Text by: RFI Follow
2 mins
In Senegal, a hundred journalists marched yesterday (Friday) in Dakar to demand the release of their colleague Pape Alé Niang.
The boss of the online media "Dakar Matin" was arrested on November 6 and then imprisoned, in particular for "disseminating military information" and "disseminating false news".
According to his lawyers, justice accuses him, for example, of the publication of documents on the security system before the hearing of the opponent Ousmane Sonko at the beginning of the month, or even comments targeting the high commander of the national gendarmerie.
The demonstrators denounced a threat to the freedom of the press.
Advertising
Read more
With our correspondent in Dakar,
Charlotte Idrac
“
Pope Alé, it's you, it's me, it's all of us!
“, we read on the signs.
Moustapha Cissé, a member of the union of information and communication professionals in Senegal, expresses his concern: "
I don't know if it's intimidation, if it's to discourage others, but it's very disturbing.
It is a bad omen
”.
Pape Alé Niang is known for his publications critical of power.
Oumy Ndour remembers a precedent: the imprisonment of journalist Madiambal Diagne, director of the newspaper
Le Quotidien
, in 2004: “
There are 18 aces, for Madiambal Diagne, we were young journalists and we all went out to demonstrate.
And Pape Alé was at the head of this demonstration.
Now that some classify it in a certain policy or not, today it is not the object of the demonstration.
Pope Alé Niang must be released
”.
►
To read also (2004): Madiambal Diagne released
Leaders of human rights organizations – such as Amnesty Senegal – joined the procession, or ordinary citizens, such as Daouda Ndiaye, artist.
for him, “it
goes beyond the person of Pape Alé Niang, it even goes beyond the press.
Because if only in the expression of individual freedoms, we have seen a lot of discrepancies in recent years
”.
It is a question of principle: any media professional who finds himself in a situation of deprivation of his freedom must be supported.
This is what we are doing today.
A democratic country, a country which has established freedom of the press and freedom of expression for a very long time... but you can see, it's an endless fight, because the attempts to challenge it are still there. .
As they say, the monster is still there, we have to fight it and we even have to beat it (...) I don't have the feeling that it's a political affair.
What is it from?
It is based on documents that have been published.
If we talk about the radio message, this message all the journalists received and processed.
Mamadou Ibra Kane, managing director of the Emedia press group
Charlotte Idrac
For their part, the authorities ensure that the freedom of the press is not in danger in Senegal.
Pape Alé Niang "
is a citizen like all the others
", "
he has committed an offense under common law, this does not concern all journalists
", assured this week the Minister of Communication, Moussa Bocar Thiam.
Newsletter
Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox
I subscribe
Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application
Senegal
Media