A Dakar court on Wednesday, August 5, sentenced to prison terms three columnists linked to Senegal’s Pastef party for allegedly insulting the Head of State and making comments deemed contrary to public morality.
Lamignou Darou was handed a three-month prison sentence, while Oustaz Thiep and Ndiaye Touba each received two months in prison each. The three men were also fined 500,000 CFA francs each.
The case followed a video released by the three commentators from Feeñal Digital, a pro-Pastef online media outlet, in which they called for the misfortune and death of “the one who betrayed the Pastef project” — a statement widely interpreted as referring to President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.
The trio, who were arrested on July 28, denied targeting the president, arguing that the remarks were part of a private discussion among friends and did not mention any individual or institution.
Their lawyer, Aby Nar Ndiaye, expressed disappointment with the ruling, insisting that there was no evidence linking their comments to the president. However, prosecutors argued that the intended target was clear.
The convictions come amid growing tensions between President Faye and Ousmane Sonko, the leader of Pastef who now serves as Speaker of Senegal’s National Assembly. The defense team announced plans to appeal the decision.