An attack in the middle of a session of the National Assembly.
Two Senegalese opposition deputies were sentenced Monday to six months in prison for "wilful assault" after hitting an elected member of the presidential party.
On December 1, MP Massata Samb attacked his colleague Amy Ndiaye from the podium over statements she had made against Moustapha Sy, leader of a party that is a member of the main opposition coalition, the Parti de Unity and Gathering (PUR), who is not a deputy but is an influential marabout in Senegal.
A slap and a kick in the stomach to a pregnant MP
The images that have been circulating on a loop are very widely perceived as showing Massata Samb slapping the parliamentarian, and his colleague Mamadou Niang kicking him in the stomach, in the middle of a public session.
Amy Ndiaye was hospitalized after the incident and risks losing the baby she is carrying, her lawyer said during the trial.
She was released from the hospital, but remains "in an extremely difficult situation", according to her advice.
The two parliamentarians, imprisoned since December 15, were tried on December 19 by the court for flagrante delicto in Dakar.
He also condemned them on Monday to pay each a fine of 100,000 CFA francs (150 euros), and "jointly" damages of five million FCFA (7,625 euros) for "intentional blows and injuries" on Amy Ndiaye, member of the presidential party.
The defense of the two deputies had pleaded that the trial could not take place given the parliamentary immunity of their clients, but the court ignored it.
The incident was seen as symptomatic of tensions between the opposition and the majority, of violence against women, but also of the untouchable status of marabouts.
World
Senegal: Journalist on Hunger Strike Transferred to Dakar Hospital
World
Senegal: President Macky Sall appoints a Prime Minister, a first since 2019
World
Senegal
Justice
Africa