Daily Times

The United Nations on Tuesday condemned the use of firearms to quell protests in Senegal, calling for an independent probe and punishment for the perpetrators. The June 1-3 violence was sparked by the handing of a two-year-sentence to opposition figurehead Ousmane Sonko for “corrupting” a young woman, making him ineligible to contest presidential polls next year. Sonko accuses President Macky Sall of trying to install a “dictatorship” at the apex of a corrupt elite.

Around 23 people died in the unrest, according to Amnesty figures, “including some by gunfire”, while the government puts the toll at 16. “The use of firearms by security forces during protests sets a negative precedent for Senegal,” UN rights office spokesman Seif Magango told reporters in Geneva. He noted that Senegal had launched investigations but added that the UN rights office wanted a “prompt, independent and thorough” probe and punishment for those responsible “regardless of their status and political affiliation.”

“We offer our office’s assistance in this respect.” Sonko, a 48-year-old former tax inspector, has spoken out against debt, poverty and corruption. He was initially charged with rape but was convicted on a lesser count of morally “corrupting” a young woman in a case that lasted two years. The UN rights office said “at least” 16 people were killed in the violence, while 350 were injured and more than 500 arrested during the three days of protests.

“We are also concerned about continuing restrictions on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly in the wake of the protests,” Magango said. He highlighted the situation of private broadcaster Walfadjri TV, which had been covering the protests live, before it “was suspended on June 1 without clear legal justification and remains off air to date”. The UN rights office also pointed out that internet services had been restricted between June 1 and 6, ostensibly to stop the “dissemination of hateful and subversive messages”.

“Internet restrictions must be grounded in unambiguous, publicly available law; must be necessary to achieve a legitimate aim,” Magango said. Senegal’s foreign ministry responded to the UN on Tuesday, saying the events earlier this month had “absolutely nothing to do with the exercise of the rights of expression and demonstration”. “We have witnessed extremely serious attacks against the State, the Republic and its institutions and the Senegalese nation”, it added. It said the aim was to “sow terror and bring our country to a standstill”. “In the face of this terrorism, it is appropriate to reaffirm the imperative need to protect our Republic”, it said. Earlier this month, the Senegalese government presented diplomats in Dakar with a booklet containing its version of events.

The government also announced on Tuesday it had launched an investigation into footage showing armed men in civilian clothes during the unrest. Videos and eyewitness accounts show the men in trucks chasing protesters. They have been accused of violently attacking demonstrators, and human rights activists have condemned their presence. “An investigation has been opened into the controversy caused by videos… circulating on social networks in recent days. It will be up to the Senegalese justice system to establish the truth”, the interior minister said. Pro-Sonko supporters accuse backers of the president of having paid the men to help put down the protests.