The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) strongly condemns the suspension of Walf TV on February 4, 2024, and calls on the Senegalese authorities to lift the suspension.

Walf TV’s Director, Cheikh Niasse, read in part the order to shut down from the government. Niasse gave the information during a special programme dedicated to the demonstrations against the postponement of the presidential election that was scheduled for February 25, 2024.

The order said the Ministry of Communication, “in agreement with the Conseil national de régulation de l’audiovisuel (CNRA), has ordered the broadcasters of Walf TV to temporarily cut the signal on the grounds of incitement to violence.”

Viewers can since not access Walf TV on DTT and Canal+, a leading operator of pay television in French-speaking Africa.

Clashes broke out on February 4, 2024, in Dakar between security forces and demonstrators protesting against the unprecedented postponement of the presidential election announced the day before by the Head of State, Macky Sall, amid a highly explosive atmosphere.

Besides its suspension on February 4, 2024, Walf TV is now under the threat of a permanent license withdrawal. This move by the Senegalese government is viewed by journalists and media experts as another severe blow to press freedom in the country.

The government also shut down the internet as Senegalese poured into the streets to protest the postponement of the elections.

In a statement, on its Facebook page, journalists’ union Syndicat des Professionnels de l’Information et de la Communication du Sénégal (SYNPICS), strongly condemned the interruption of Walf TV’s signal.

“Walf TV, like all the country’s television channels, is entitled to hold a special programme on the country’s political and institutional situation, marked by the suspension of the electoral process decided by the President of the Republic on Saturday. This suspension is all the more alarming in that it comes without any of the ‘formal notice’ procedures laid down in the Press Code, and without any objective complaint being made against the television station’s management. Neither was it carried out by the competent administrative authority,” SYNPICS stated.

The channel was suspended for a week on February 10, 2023, for broadcasting scenes of violent demonstrations. The media regulator, the Conseil national de régulation de l’audiovisuel (CNRA), alleged that the channel had provided irresponsible coverage of demonstrations.

In March 2021, the CNRA also suspended the channel’s programmes for three days, alleging that it had repeatedly broadcasted images of an unrest that followed the arrest of political opponent Ousmane Sonko.

Apart from the media being suspended, its journalists were also targeted. On November 13, 2023, officers with the gendarmerie’s Colobane research section in Dakar arrested Pape Sané for allegedly spreading false news under Article 255 of the Senegalese penal code. Sané was arrested after a Facebook post in which he criticised the sacking of the Commander of the gendarmerie, General Jean Baptiste Tine. The commander was fired in March 2021 after demonstrations over the arrest of the Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko.

Pape Ndiaye, a legal columnist for Walf TV, was arrested on March 3, 2023, following comments he made about the alleged rape case involving opposition leader Ousmane Sonko and a certain Adji Sarr, the complainant in the rape case.

These arrests and the latest suspension of Walf TV, the third in about three years, confirm the growing perception that the critical media organisation is targeted by the authorities. Such actions undermine the fundamental principles of democracy, as a free press is essential for an informed citizenry and a transparent political process. It is our opinion that the government’s move against Walf TV violates not only the rights of journalists but also the public’s right to access diverse sources of information.

The MFWA is deeply concerned about the widespread repression of freedom of expression in Senegal and joins the media in Senegal to condemn this umpteenth attempt.

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Guarantee fundamental freedoms, end arbitrary detentions and prosecutions

• The authorities in Senegal have cracked down on the opposition, media, and civil society.
• President Macky Sall’s promise to hold free and fair elections is at odds with the reality that the authorities have been filling prisons for the last three years with hundreds of political opponents.
• The authorities should effectively investigate all security force violence, release people arbitrarily detained, and guarantee the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly.

The authorities in Senegal have cracked down on the opposition, media, and civil society, ahead of general elections scheduled for February 25, 2024, Human Rights Watch said today. The authorities should effectively investigate all violence by the security forces, release people arbitrarily detained, including on politically motivated grounds, and guarantee the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly, essential to genuinely free and fair elections.

A crackdown began in 2021 over court cases involving prominent opposition leader Ousmane Sonko and over concerns about whether President Macky Sall would run for a third term, but there has been a spate of arrests of political opposition figures and dissidents in recent months.

According to civil society groups and opposition parties, up to 1,000 opposition members and activists have been arrested across the country since March 2021. Seventy-nine people have submitted requests to the Constitutional Council to be presidential candidates, including Amadou Ba, Senegal’s current prime minister and member of the ruling coalition, and Sonko, a jailed opposition leader and head of the dissolved political party African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics, and Fraternity (Patriotes africains du Sénégal pour le travail, l’éthique et la fraternité, PASTEF). Only 20 have survived the Council’s vetting process. Sonko’s candidacy was rejected on grounds that he was sentenced to 6 months in prison by the Senegalese supreme court for defamation against a minister. Sall is not running for a third term.

“President Macky Sall’s promise to hold free and fair elections is at odds with the reality that the authorities have been filling prisons for the last three years with hundreds of political opponents,” said Ilaria Allegrozzi, senior Sahel researcher at Human Rights Watch. “The authorities should ensure that all Senegalese are able to freely express their views and exercise their vote fairly and peacefully.”

Between November 2023 and January 2024, Human Rights Watch interviewed in person and by telephone 34 people, including 9 opposition party members, 13 members of Senegalese civil society groups, 6 journalists, 2 university professors, 3 Senegalese lawyers, and 3 relatives of activists. Human Rights Watch also reviewed reports by national and international media outlets, photographs showing one protester’s injuries as a result of torture in June 2023 and his medical records, and a video showing gendarmes torturing a protester, also in June.

On January 9, Human Rights Watch sent an email to Julien Ngane Ndour, director of the Justice Ministry’s Human Rights Division, sharing its findings and requesting responses to specific questions. Human Rights Watch did not receive a response.

Waves of arrests started in 2021 following violent protests linked to court cases involving Sonko, and over the prospect that President Macky Sall might run for a third term. Security forces have targeted leaders, members, and supporters of Sonko’s party. Sonko was most recently arrested on July 28 on charges of fomenting insurrection, undermining state security, creating serious political unrest, and criminal association, among others. Bassirou Diomaye Faye, PASTEF’s secretary general, has been in detention since April 14, facing similar charges connected to a message criticizing magistrates he posted on his Facebook page.

“Criticizing officials is not a crime and no one should face prison time for doing so,” said Faye’s lawyer. On July 31, Senegal’s interior minister announced the dissolution of PASTEF on the grounds that it had allegedly rallied supporters during violent protests in June 2023 and March 2021.

“Our leadership is in jail, our supporters are in jail, many of us are on provisional release or are monitored electronically like me,” said El Malick Ndiaye, head of communications for PASTEF, arrested on March 22 for allegedly spreading false news and acts likely to jeopardize public security. That day, he published a message on his Facebook page alleging that an individual in police uniform sprayed Sonko with an unknown substance. “The government is trivializing the practice of arrest and doing everything to silence us,” he said.

The authorities have used the judicial system to target political opponents and dissidents. Lawyers representing those arrested in connection with opposition-led protests expressed concerns over the lack of respect for due process rights of their clients, including trumped up charges, lack of evidence to substantiate charges, prolonged pretrial detention, and ill-treatment and torture in detention or upon arrest.

“The prosecutor wrongly codifies the offense in order to request an arrest warrant and rejects any request for provisional release of detainees,” said Moussa Sarr, a prominent human rights lawyer who is representing pro bono hundreds of detained protestors. “So it happens that people who participate in an unauthorized demonstration are not being prosecuted for participating in an unauthorized demonstration, but for criminal association. The offense charged is no longer the legal consequence of the acts committed.”

Human Rights Watch has previously documented security forces’ use of excessive force, including live ammunition and improper use of tear gas, to disperse thousands of protesters across the country in March 2021 and June 2023. At least 37 people have been killed during violent clashes since March 2021 and there has been no accountability. “Young people died, and their families are yet to see any justice done,” said Alioune Tine, a prominent Senegalese human rights activist and founder of the research organization AfrikaJom. “The failure by our authorities to bring to book errant security officers will only encourage them to continue.”

The March 2021 violent protests led Senegalese authorities, citing the need to protect public security, to restrict freedom of assembly by prohibiting public gatherings, meetings, and protests. On December 29, 2023, local authorities in the capital, Dakar, banned a December 30 meeting at which Sonko was to be nominated to run for president, citing a threat to public order.

“For two years authorities have rejected almost all requests from civil society organizations and political parties to demonstrate,” said Moundiaye Cissé, executive director of the civil society organization 3D. “The right to freedom of assembly is a cornerstone of democracy, we fought for it, it cannot be taken away from us.”

Some candidates have said they were prevented from collecting signatures, which are required to place their name on the ballot. On October 28, Khalifa Sall, leader of the Taxawu party and a presidential candidate, said the police stopped his 30-vehicle convoy for several hours, preventing it from entering the Fatick region, southeast of Dakar, where he was supposed to collect signatures. The police said that the convoy had not been authorized.

“We did not need any authorization,” said Moussa Taille, Taxawu’s spokesperson. “The law provides for any candidate to collect his sponsorships. Ahead of the vote, the government is trying to restrict the rights of opponents.”

Journalists said that since 2021, they have experienced increased pressure from government agents and security forces while doing their work, as well as arbitrary arrests and intimidation. Dozens of journalists have been arbitrarily arrested, threatened verbally, and physically assaulted. Media outlets have been suspended and the authorities have imposed arbitrary restrictions to mobile internet access and social media.

In a January 8 statement, the European Union announced that, at the invitation of Senegalese authorities, it will deploy an electoral observation mission to Senegal on February 25.

International human rights law, including regional law such as the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, prohibits arbitrary detention. Any charges authorities bring must be provided for in law, cover activity that is legitimate to sanction, and be supported by credible evidence that fits the offense. Those detained have a right to be informed of the grounds for their arrest, to challenge their detention before an independent and impartial judge, not to be arbitrarily denied bail, to have access to a lawyer and family members, and to have their case periodically reviewed. International human rights law also guarantees the right to freedom of assembly and expression and prohibits excessive use of force by law enforcement officials as well as detention in inhumane and degrading conditions.

“As Senegal heads to the polls, the stakes for its democracy are high,” Allegrozzi said. “Senegalese authorities should initiate impartial, independent, and effective investigations into all cases of use of force by security forces throughout the pre-election crisis and ensure that security forces respect the right to demonstrate peacefully.”

For detailed accounts of the abuses and other details, please refer to HRW’s press release

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The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) strongly condemns the threats issued against journalist Babacar Fall and calls on the Senegalese authorities to investigate them and prosecute the perpetrators.

On January 10, 2024, Babacar Fall, Editor-in-chief of the radio station RFM, received a flood of messages and calls from unknown individuals threatening his life.

“You’d better stop these comments. Otherwise, we will kill you,” a voice note sent to Fall and reviewed by the MFWA threatened. Another message read “this message is not a warning. I’ll take you out when I see you.”

Fall is reported to have received not less than 120 of such messages from unknown individuals, some of which were insults, while others were threats in which the perpetrators promised to make attempts on the journalist’s life.

The journalist’s ordeal started a few minutes after he criticized, live on RFM, President Macky Sall’s opening speech at the 50^th Edition of the International Francophone Press Union conference held on January 9, 2024. In his speech, President Macky Sall stated that “Press reviews in Senegal are just for show. They have no facts, and public opinion is manipulated all day long.”

Fall, in his broadcast, defended the media whose image, he deemed, had been tarnished at such an important international gathering. The journalist equally described President Macky Sall’s governance as “catastrophic.”

The threats to his life and the insults led the journalist lodging a complaint. However, there have not been any positive developments since then.

The Coordination des associations de Presse (CAP), a media coalition, expressed its full support and solidarity with Babacar Fall. The CAP equally urged the authorities to guarantee Fall’s safety and to open an investigation as soon as possible in order to identify and bring to justice the perpetrators of these unjustified threats.

The Media Foundation for West Africa is extremely concerned about the safety of Babacar Fall. We call on the political parties and their partisans to respect the freedom of expression of divergent voices.

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IPI’s monitoring has documented a troubling rise in press freedom threats and violations this year in Senegal, including the unlawful arrest and detention of journalists as well as instances of censorship. In June, July, and August 2023, the government shut down the internet during public demonstrations and blocked TikTok. Another example is the case of journalist Pape Ale Niang, who has been arrested three times this year, while Walf TV has also been suspended several times.

It is against this backdrop that IPI teamed up with the Senegalese digital rights group Jonction and the Media Foundation for West Africa to develop a toolkit highlighting the legal frameworks and commitments protecting press freedom in Senegal. This resource can be used by advocates, journalists, and other stakeholders to hold the government accountable to domestic and regional standards protecting journalists’ rights.

Senegal has ratified several instruments at both the international and regional levels that places obligations on it to uphold press freedom. These include the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights, the Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment of Punishment, and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights among others. The Constitution of the Republic of Senegal also guarantees the fundamental rights to freedom of expression, freedom of opinion, freedom of the press, and freedom of information.

READ THE ENGLISH VERSION OF THE TOOLKIT HERE  (PDF FILE)

READ THE FRENCH VERSION OF THE TOOLKIT HERE  (PDF FILE)

Despite these commitments to press freedom, Senegal has adopted legislation that limits and undermines these rights, including provisions of the country’s Criminal Code and  Press Code. In this toolkit, we highlight some of these problematic provisions and cases of press freedom threats and violations.

As Senegal heads toward general elections in February 2024, IPI hopes that the stakeholders working to protect and defend media freedom in Senegal and beyond can benefit from this toolkit as a resource to improve the operating environment for journalists in Senegal.

Download

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Freedom of expression is facing a severe test in Senegal, as the authorities continue to repress dissenting voices. The recent arrest of journalist and activist, Aliou Sané, illustrates the Macky Sall regime’s determination to trample on freedom of expression, which has traditionally been one of Senegal’s prized democratic laurels.

Arrested for the second time on October 5, 2023, in front of his house by Dakar Central Police’s urban security force, Sané was taken to Reubeuss prison in Dakar. This followed a decision by the indictment chamber of the Dakar High Court on July 25, 2023, which invalidated the provisional release granted Sané earlier.

Despite a peaceful march organised on October 27, 2023 by freedom of expression and human rights organisations to demand Sané’s release, there has been no positive outcome.

Sané is a human rights defender and an experienced journalist. He co-founded the movement, “Y’en a marre” which advocates for freedom of expression, information, and association in Senegal. The movement represents youth advocacy and protests against poor governance in Senegal.

The activist was first arrested on May 29, 2023 on charges of taking part in an unauthorized demonstration and disturbing public order. He was granted provisional release on June 4, 2023.

Sané’s re-arrest adds to a series of arrests of journalists and civil society actors like Pape Ale Niang, Pape Babacar Touré, and Oustaz Seck. Others have been detained for expressing opinions on social media, with at least one person prosecuted for fundraising for PASTEF.

A concerning pattern emerges with many detainees linked to Ousmane Sonko’s political party, PASTEF-Les Patriotes, or sympathizers. Key party figures, including the National Secretary and Communication Officer, have been imprisoned.

Religious leaders, civil society actors, and individuals critical of the Macky Sall government’s heavy-handed approach in the Sonko case have not been exempt from arrests and detentions. While the legitimacy of these actions may be debated, the government’s systematic suppression of Sonko, his party members, and independent voices critical of its tactics is undeniably having a detrimental impact on the civic space.

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) strongly condemns the continued detention of Aliou Sané and calls for his unconditional release. We demand that all those arrested and detained for criminal defamation be released immediately. We equally call on the government to end all liberticidal activities and restore the civic space to the free, open and tolerant one that it ought to be.

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Khalil Kamara, a journalist who works with the Dakar-based newspaper, Senego, was arrested on September 5, 2023, and arraigned on September 6, 2023, before he was released later on the latter day. The charges brought against him included disseminating false news, defamation, insulting an official body, and offending the head of state.

His crime was that he published a reader’s opinion which was critical of the Head of State and some judges, in connection with the incarceration of Senegalese opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko. Kamara is just one of a growing number of journalists subjected to harassment by Senegalese authorities for nearly two years.

APPEL makes an APPEAL

The Association des Éditeurs et Professionnels de la presse en ligne (Association of Publishers and Online Press Professionals – APPEL) issued a press release calling for the release of Khalil Kamara. It pointed out that Kamara was not the author of the contentious article but merely the presenter of an an opinion that was duly signed by its author.

APPEL expressed its “regret over the Senegalese government’s propensity to easily detain journalists”.

Furthermore, the association highlighted that for nearly a year, almost a dozen journalists have faced legal inquiries for matters that could have been handled by the Conseil pour le Respect de l’Ethique et de la Déontologie dans les Médias (Council for the Respect of Ethics and Deontology in the Media – CORED) an institution empowered by the country’s press code which was enacted in 2017.

“We firmly believe that imprisonment is an unsuitable solution to the current challenges confronting the media,” the association declared.

Imprisoned for reporting

Kamara’s arrest constituted the second incident involving a journalist from Senego in three weeks. Abdou Khadre Sakho, another journalist from the same media outlet, was detained on August 14, 2023. His arrest followed a summon by the Dakar Criminal Investigation Division on charges of “disseminating false news, and engaging in actions likely to discredit state institutions”.

The charges followed Sakho’s transcription and publication of an interview with the chairman of the Association pour le soutien et la réinsertion sociale des détenus (Association for the Support and Social Reintegration of Prisoners – Asrad), Ibrahima Fall, on August 13, 2023. In that interview, which had been granted by another online media outlet, Sans Limites, Fall claimed there were “negotiations” between Sonko and the state authorities, including a suggestion that Sonko, who also serves as mayor of Ziguinchor, should seek medical treatment in Guinea-Bissau. Sakho was released on August 16, 2023, and his case was dismissed.

Contacted on telephone, Mangoné KA, Senego’s editor-in-chief, called on authorities to allow journalists to work freely and to place their trust in them. He emphasized that Senego remains impartial in its editorial policies.

Failure to uphold a commitment

In November 2022, the Coordination of Press Associations (Cap) met with the Ministers of Justice and Communication, along with the Public Prosecutor, to advocate for the release of journalist Pape Alé Niang, Manager of the privately-owned news website, Dakar Matin. CAP sought to draw attention to the numerous arrests of journalists and underscored how counterproductive imprisoning them is. They also suggested that those in power should refer complaints against journalists to the CORED instead of resorting to imprisonment for any grievances against journalists. The authorities acknowledged these concerns but have not taken any meaningful action, leading to continued imprisonment of journalists, including the two with Senego.

The concerns of the MFWA

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), joins APPEL and Cap, to express concern about the widespread arrests of journalists in Senegal, particularly regarding coverage of the Sonko affair, a subject the authorities have made a taboo.

Senegal used to be celebrated as a model democracy in Africa. However, the country has in recent times taken a retrogressive path as evidenced by the serial imprisonment of Pape Alé Niang, the arrests of Babacar Touré and Oustaz Assane Seck, and the detention of Pape Ndiaye and Sérigne Saliou Guèye.

The manipulation of laws on the publication of false news and defamation to detain and criminally prosecute journalists contradicts Senegal’s otherwise glowing image. It is to be noted that the ECOWAS Court of Justice ruled in 2018 that such repressive acts, including pre-trial detentions, violate the right to freedom of expression under international law. This was in a case between the Gambian government and four journalists supported by the Federation of African Journalists. The ECOWAS Court consequently ordered The Gambia to amend its press laws in line with international law.

The MFWA therefore calls on the Senegalese authorities, in light of the country’s respected status within ECOWAS, to adhere to the ECOWAS Court’s ruling.  We also urge the Senegalese government to show greater tolerance towards journalists and critics, and to engage in a constructive dialogue with the various stakeholders within Senegal’s political space, to reverse the high tensions surrounding the build up to the 2024 elections.

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Senegalese authorities should release journalist Ndèye Maty Niang, also known as Maty Sarr Niang, halt the prosecutions against Pape Ndiaye and Serigne Saliou Gueye, and drop the restrictions placed on the two journalists following their release, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Thursday.

Authorities arrested Gueye, publication director of the privately owned newspaper Yoor Yoor, on May 23 and released him on Tuesday, June 20, according to the news website Dakaractu and the journalists’ lawyer Moussa Sarr, who communicated with CPJ via messaging app.

Ndiaye, a reporter with the privately owned broadcaster Walf TV, was held since March and also granted release on Tuesday; he left prison on Wednesday.

Under the conditions of their provisional release, Ndiaye and Gueye are required to report to the prosecutor’s office on the first Friday of each month, inform the judge of any change of address, and are prohibited from leaving the country without permission or communicating about their case, Sarr said.

As of Thursday, June 22, Niang, who reports on local politics for the privately owned website Kéwoulo, remained in detention without a scheduled court date.

“Authorities in Senegal must release journalist Maty Sarr Niang and drop their prosecution of recently released journalists Pape Ndiaye and Serigne Saliou Gueye, as well as the onerous restrictions placed on them,” said Angela Quintal, CPJ’s Africa program coordinator. “Unfortunately, Senegal is trampling on its reputation as a stable democracy committed to press freedom. Journalists should be safe to report on matters of public interest without fearing arrest or harassment.”

On May 16, officers with Urban Security, a unit dedicated to judicial investigations, arrested Niang at her home in the capital city of Dakar, according to news reports and Sarr.

An investigating judge charged Niang on May 24 with “acts and maneuvers likely to undermine public security, [and] usurping the function of a journalist” connected to her work for Kéwoulo, according to Sarr.

Kéwoulo director Babacar Touré told CPJ by phone that the journalist’s arrest was connected to her reporting, as well as criticism of Senegalese authorities in personal Facebook posts. “Every journalist who is not in their camp, they try everything to arrest you,” Touré said. “The thing is to put fear on us.”

Under section 80 of Senegal’s penal code, which CPJ reviewed, “maneuvers and acts of a nature to compromise public security or to cause serious political unrest” is punishable with up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of 1.5 million West African francs (US$ 2,500).

Ndiaye was jailed on six charges, including “spreading false news” in March 2023. He was held in Sebikotane prison until the day after his release was granted because the prison received the release decision late, Sarr told CPJ.

Urban Security officers arrested Gueye on May 23 after he responded to a summons, according to another of Gueye’s lawyers, Cheikh Ndiaye, and Yoor Yoor accounting assistant Marietou Beye, whom both communicated with CPJ via messaging app. A prosecutor accused Gueye of usurping the function of a journalist because he did not have a national press card and of contempt of court over a May 15 article.

The May 15 article was published by Yoor Yoor under an anonymous byline with the title “Dear fellow magistrates, let’s pull ourselves together!” and critiqued the prosecution of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko. On June 1, a Senegalese court sentenced Sonko to two years in prison for corrupting youth; he is appealing the decision, but the sentencing may prevent him from running in Senegal’s 2024 presidential election.

Gueye was released from Rebeuss prison in Dakar on Tuesday, June 20, Sarr told CPJ.

CPJ’s calls to Senegalese Minister of Interior Antoine Diome and Minister of Justice Ismaila Madior Fall went unanswered.

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Nine protesters have died, the internet has been disrupted and the signals of a pro-opposition television station temporarily cut as the conviction of Senegal’s opposition leader Ousmane Sonko plunges the country into chaos.

Deadly riots broke out in several cities across Senegal on June 1, 2023, after the court verdict with the security services responding with brutal force.

“We regretfully noted the acts of violence that resulted in the destruction of public and private property and, unfortunately, nine deaths in Dakar and Ziguinchor,” Interior Minister Antoine Diome said on national television on the night of June 1, 2023.

The state authorities have cut the signal of the television channel Walf Tv on DTT and Canal+ for at least 48 hours. Walf TV, like most Senegalese TV channels, dedicated an editorial to the trial of Ousmane Sonko. Several reporters and regional correspondents were dispatched to follow in real time the demonstrations that broke out following Sonko’s conviction. The opposition leader was sentenced to two years in prison and fined 600,000 CFA francs (around $1,000) for “corrupting young people”.

Specifically, the authorities are criticising Walf TV for showing continuous images of the demonstrations. They justify the suspension of the television station on the basis of Article 192 of the Press Code.

“In exceptional circumstances, the relevant administrative authority (Governor, Prefect or Sub-Prefect) may, in order to prevent or put a stop to an attack on State security or territorial integrity, or in the case of incitement to hatred or incitement to murder, order: the seizure of a media outlet’s broadcasting equipment; the suspension or cessation of the broadcast of a programme; the temporary closure of the media outlet”, Article 192 of Senegal’s Press Code states.

The management of Walf TV said that they had not received any notification prior to the suspension. The Conseil national de régulation de l’Audiovisuel (CNRA), the media regulator, denies any responsibility for the cutting of Walf TV’s signal on DTT.

In addition to taking Walf TV off air, the authorities also disrupted the internet, with several social networks heavily restricted.

“NetBlocks metrics confirm the restriction of Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, Telegram and other social media platforms in Senegal on 1 June 2023. The measure comes amid widespread protests over the sentencing of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko,” said NetBlocks, the global internet monitoring platform.

The incidents of June 1, 2023, are not a first. In February 2023, the CNRA suspended Walf TV for seven days. The media regulator accused the station of violating the code of ethics by showing scenes of violence. The TV station covered live a protest march by supporters of the opposition politician Ousmane Sonko, which turned violent.

Two years earlier, in March 2021, several civilians were killed, access to social networks was restricted and at least two media outlets were suspended when protests broke out following Sonko’s arrest.

The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) is deeply concerned about the actions of the authorities which have occasioned severe violations of the right to freedom of assembly, press freedom and access to information. While we condemn the excesses on the part of some demonstrators, the MFWA is dismayed by the disproportionate response from the security agencies, which has led to regrettable deaths. We call on the authorities to investigate the violence on both sides and to punish the perpetrators of the lethal repression. We also call on the authorities, the law enforcement agencies, civil society and political parties to take the necessary measures to ease political tensions, ahead of next year’s presidential elections.

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Senegalese authorities should immediately release journalist Pape Ndiaye and drop all legal proceedings against him, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday.

On March 3, police in the capital city of Dakar detained Ndiaye after he responded to a summons, according to media reports and the journalist’s lawyer, Moussa Sarr, who spoke to CPJ by phone and messaging app.

On Tuesday, March 7, a judge charged Ndiaye with six crimes including “spreading false news,” and ordered him transferred to a prison in the town of Sebikotane while he awaits trial, Sarr told CPJ.

The allegations against Ndiaye, a reporter with the privately owned Walf TV broadcaster, stem from his on-air commentary about the prosecution of opposition politician Ousmane Sonko, according to Sarr and those news reports.

“Senegalese authorities should immediately release journalist Pape Ndiaye, cease jailing members of the press for their work, and reform the country’s laws to ensure they cannot be used to criminalize journalism,” said Angela Quintal, CPJ’s Africa program coordinator, in New York. “The jailing of journalists has thrown into serious doubt Senegal’s reputation as a stable democracy in West Africa.”

Sarr told CPJ that no complaint had been filed against Ndiaye, and that the case was being pursued at the discretion of a government prosecutor.

The six charges include provoking a crowd, contempt of court, intimidation and reprisals against members of the judiciary, speech discrediting a judicial act, spreading fake news, and endangering the lives of others, the journalist’s lawyer told CPJ.

CPJ’s calls to government spokesperson Abdou Kerim Fofana and Justice Minister Ismaila Madior Fall rang unanswered or did not connect.

In late 2022 and early 2023, another Senegalese journalist, Pape Alé Niang, also faced arrest and detention over reporting on Sonko’s case, before being released on bail.

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The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) strongly condemns the assault of journalist Fatou Dione, a camerawoman with the online media Buur News, and calls on the authorities to investigate and punish those responsible for this barbaric act.

Fatou Diop was physically assaulted in the Senegalese capital Dakar by police officers while covering a demonstration by the Collective for the Release of Political Prisoners (Collectif pour la libération des prisonniers politiques – COLIDEP) on November 5, 2022. The group was holding a series of demonstrations for the release of political prisoners.

Fatou Diop was rushed to the hospital for treatment after she was violently pushed by police officers and lost consciousness. The police, who were already in Dakar’s Place de l’indépendance (Independence Square), became more violent when arresting the demonstrators.

The journalist expressed her indignation in a post on her Facebook page after her condition stabilised.

“It is with tears in my eyes that I write these words to denounce with the utmost energy attacks on journalists. Today we are witnessing police blunders and arrests of journalists in the line of duty. On Saturday, November 5, I was attacked at the Independence Square by the police. This incident will not go unpunished,” she published on November 7, 2022.

Fatou suffered a head injury, but says she is undeterred.

“I’m not fully recovered from the incident, which affects my work a bit. But these are the hazards of the profession. This incident cannot stop me from doing my job,” Fatou Dione told the MFWA.

Several unions and media organisations have condemned the brazen act. In a post on its Facebook page, the Senegalese Union of Information and Communication Professionals (SYNPICS) condemned the barbaric attack by police officers “who must at all costs distinguish between journalists and people who come for other reasons to these kinds of demonstrations.”

The MFWA is extremely concerned about the safety situation of journalists in Senegal and urges the leadership of the police to probe the incident and punish the officers involved. We also call on the Police administration to adopt a policy of zero tolerance for attacks by its personnel on journalists who are only doing their job.

We wish Fatou Dione of Buur News a speedy recovery and call on journalists to continue to exercise their profession in accordance with the rules of ethics and deontology.

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