The arrest of opposition figure Amath Suzanne Camara on July 24th, 2024, for criticizing President Bassirou Diomaye Faye has reignited the debate over the law criminalizing offenses against the head of state, which carries a penalty of up to five years in prison.
This incident marks the third arrest related to this offense since the young President Bassirou Diomaye Faye took office on April 2nd of this year. Amath Suzanne Camara, a member of the Alliance for the Republic (APR), a former ruling party now in opposition, was detained after making critical remarks about the current president on an online media platform.
The controversy began on July 23, 2024, when Camara, in an interview on Seneweb TV, accused President Faye and Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko of deceit in their rise to power and of continuing to lie. The following day, the public prosecutor initiated an investigation, leading to Camara’s arrest and detention pending a court hearing.
The arrest has sparked considerable reaction. Within the ranks of the Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics, and Fraternity (Pastef), the ruling party associated with President Faye and Prime Minister Sonko, voices have emerged criticizing the detention as excessive.
Human rights organization Amnesty International has highlighted that during the National Justice Assizes, one of the recommendations made to the president was to abolish prison sentences for offenses against the head of state. This particular law has faced repeated criticism in Senegal for its use in imprisoning political opponents, with penalties ranging from three months to five years in prison.