[REVISION HISTORY]

Senegal crackdown on Pastef journalists

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2026-08-06 18:13 UTC → 2026-08-08 00:04 UTC · added ~~removed~~

In late July 2026, Senegal's Division Spéciale de Cybersécurité detained three online journalists linked to the opposition Pastef‑Les Patriotes after a video was interpreted as a veiled insult to President Bassirou Diomaye Faye. The men were placed in pre‑trial detention and faced criticism from press unions and human‑rights groups, which called for the repeal of the law criminalising insults to the head of state. A week later, a Dakar court sentenced the three contributors to the outlet Feeñal Digital to prison terms ranging from two to three months and imposed fines of 500,000 FCFA each. The defendants maintained the clip was comedic and did not name the president, arguing the case reflected political persecution of supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko. The verdict underscored growing scrutiny of online speech in Senegal. On 5 August, the court confirmed the sentences, specifying three months for Mandoumbe Diop (known as Lamignou Darou) and two months each for Magueye Diaw (Oustaz Thiep) and Moustapha Ndiaye (Ndiaye Touba), with the same 500,000 CFA fine per person. The defendants reiterated that the sketch was satirical, while critics described the ruling as a further crackdown on free expression amid heightened political tension surrounding former opposition leader Ousmane Sonko and the newly elected president. Further coverage on 5 August and again on 7 August reiterated the same penalties: three months’ imprisonment for Mandoumbe Diop and two months each for Magueye Diaw and Moustapha Ndiaye, together with 500,000 CFA fines. Prosecutors said the TikTok sketch prayed for “the one who betrayed the Pastef project” to fall ill, interpreting it as an insult to President Faye. The defendants’ lawyer, Abdy Nar Ndiaye, warned that the verdict set a dangerous precedent for online satire, noting that former opposition leader Ousmane Sonko had recently split from Pastef to launch his own party.

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