A Senegalese judge passes sentence after the conviction of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko

A Sonko lawyer maintains that they are “waiting” for the execution of the sentence

June 29 (EUROPA PRESS) –

A court in the capital of Senegal, Dakar, has handed down a sentence this Wednesday against the opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, weeks after announcing a two-year prison sentence for “youth corruption”, in the framework of a trial for alleged rape. and death threats against a woman, charges of which he has been acquitted.

After this, the sentence against the president of the opposition party Patriots Africans of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity (PASTEF) has been formalized, so the defendant can be arrested in the next few hours.

Sonko, who is also the mayor of the southern city of Ziguinchor, is currently at home in Dakar in the custody of security forces.

One of his lawyers, Abdoulayé Tall, has told Jeune Afrique magazine that he has not yet received the decision. Tall has indicated that “the decision could be available on Monday”, since Thursday and Friday are public holidays in Senegal.

“The execution is carried out on instructions from the Minister of Justice and, ultimately, from the Presidency. It is up to them to decide, but we are waiting for them,” he declared.

This decision comes a few days after the Senegalese president, Macky Sall, has promised that he will address the nation “very soon” to clarify whether or not he will finally run for a third term in the next presidential elections in the midst of a panorama of extreme political violence in the African country.

The Senegalese opposition accuses the president of orchestrating a harsh repression against dissidents and supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko, whose lawyer, Juan Branco, accused the president himself and his Interior Minister, Antoine Félix Diome, of launching over the past two years ” a widespread and systematic attack against the civilian population”.

Tension in the country peaked at the beginning of the month, with more than 15 people killed after Sonko was sentenced to two years in jail. The case against Sonko dates back to March 2021, when his arrest led to protests in which 15 deaths and significant material damage were recorded. Demonstrations in May to prevent his arrest resulted in three more deaths, including an officer run over in an accident by a police vehicle.