Senegal court jails three TikTok influencers for insulting the president
A Senegalese court sentenced three TikTok influencers to serve prison time and pay a fine for insulting the president, their lawyer said in a video posted on Facebook, a move that critics said was an assault on free speech in the West African country.
In Senegal, three TikTok influencers have been jailed and fined for insulting the president, according to their lawyer. This decision has been criticized as an attack on free speech. The trio were employed by Feenal Digital, an online communications channel that some believe supports Senegal's former Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko.
Sonko recently broke ties with President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who formed his own political party. Feenal Digital's Facebook page states that it promotes government and private sector initiatives. The court sentenced Mandoumbe Diop, known as Lamignou Darou, to three months in prison without the option to appeal. He was identified as the most influential among the three, boasting over half a million followers on his TikTok channel.
Many of his videos garner tens of thousands of views. The other two, Magueye Diaw, also known as Oustaz Thiep, and Moustapha Ndiaye, known as Ndiaye Touba, received two months in prison without parole each. Their lawyer, Abdy Nar Ndiaye, stated that their TikTok content was humorous and did not warrant criminal charges. He added that Diaw and Ndiaye were fined 500,000 CFA, equivalent to about $800. As of now, Feenal Digital and a government spokesperson have not commented on the matter.
Written by urgent.news from MyJoyOnline Ghana's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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