Senegal: Bassirou Diomaye Faye, right-hand man of Ousmane Sonko, arrested and placed in police custody

Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Secretary General of the Pastef-Les Patriotes party. © Bassirou Diomaye Faye

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In Senegal, new arrest in the ranks of the Pastef-Les Patriotes party of the political opponent Ousmane Sonko. Bassirou Diomaye Faye, the secretary general and No. 2 of the party, was arrested and placed in custody Friday evening, April 14, for spreading false news, insulting court and defamation of a constituted body, following the publication of a post on social networks where he criticizes the behavior of some magistrates.

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With our correspondent in Dakar, Théa Ollivier

In a post on social networks, which dates from April 12, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, secretary general of Pastef, criticizes the haste of the magistrates who decided to judge on appeal next Monday Ousmane Sonko in the defamation case that opposes him to the Minister of Tourism Mame Mbaye Niang. A hearing that would be held even before the expiry of the period for the political opponent to appeal. It then implies a complicity of justice with the power to remove Ousmane Sonko from the political scene.

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Bassirou Diomaye Faye simply expressed his opinion on the functioning of justice in his country as a political leader," explains his lawyer Moussa Sarr.

For Pape Mahawa Diouf, communication coordinator of the Benno Bokk Yaakaar presidential coalition, the challenge is therefore to set this limit on freedom of expression. According to him, the Pastef party endangers it "in their propensity to be in excess, threat, insult and untruths".

In the meantime, Bassirou Diomaye Faye is still in custody and could appear before the prosecutor as early as next Monday.

► Read also Senegal: contrasting reactions after the conviction of Ousmane Sonko for defamation

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