In Senegal, the state’s legal representatives held a press conference in Dakar on August 24, 2023, announcing the government’s decision to act as a civil party in the ongoing criminal proceedings against political opposition figure Ousmane Sonko and his French lawyer Juan Branco. The two individuals were arrested in Senegal and subsequently expelled to France.
Both Sonko and Branco face charges including actions that compromise public safety, inciting serious disturbances, conspiracy against the state authority, and dissemination of false information.
No Effort Will Be Spared by the State
Amidst the protests that followed Ousmane Sonko’s conviction to a two-year prison term in June of this year, public and private properties were damaged. In response, the Senegalese government has chosen to position itself as a civil party in the ongoing legal proceedings against Ousmane Sonko and his lawyer, Juan Branco, stated Ndeye Anta Mbaye, a member of the Senegalese State’s legal team.
The lawyers also highlighted the petition signed by 142 individuals requesting President Macky Sall to release Ousmane Sonko. According to lawyer Adama Fall, “In a state of law, there is a sacrosanct principle of the separation of powers, and as soon as a judge from the judicial branch is involved, it is not within the purview of any supreme authority, whether the President of the Republic, Minister of Justice, or Prosecutor, to interfere in the functioning of justice.”
Meanwhile, Ousmane Sonko, who began a hunger strike on July 30th, was still hospitalized as of Wednesday, and his condition had worsened, as reported by his attorney, Ciré Clédor Ly.