Streets clash in Senegal after opposition leader sentenced to jail
After a court in Senegal sentenced opposition leader Ousmane Sonko to 2 years in prison, Sonko's supporters took to the streets and clashed with police. The court acquitted Sonko, 48, of rape charges, but sentenced him to 2 years in prison for a separate crime defined as immoral behavior against persons under 21.
In Senegal, the streets turned into a war zone after the announcement of the court verdict on opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, who was accused of raping and threatening to kill a 20-year-old woman working in a massage parlor in 2021.
The court acquitted Sonko, 48, of the rape charge, but sentenced him to 2 years in prison on a separate charge of indecent behavior against a person under the age of 21.
Sonko's party, PASTEF, said in a statement after the verdict that the court's decision was part of a political conspiracy and called on party supporters to "stop all activities and take to the streets."
Sonko, who denied the charges and argued that the case was politically motivated, did not attend the hearing, while his supporters took to the streets and clashed with the police.
Sonko supporters threw stones at the police and set buses on fire. Police intervened with tear gas against the protesters.
Bamba Ciss, one of Sonko's lawyers, citing Senegal's electoral law, said, "Sonko cannot be a candidate with this crime."
Justice Minister Ismaila Madior Fall said Sonko could be jailed at any time and police were deployed around Sonko's home in the capital Dakar on public safety grounds.
Fall said, "Today, we have something we have never experienced before. A rebellion project aimed at destabilizing the country."
