A court in Senegal has sentenced three TikTok influencers to prison after finding them guilty of insulting President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, in a case that has sparked concerns among critics over freedom of expression in the West African nation.
The three content creators, who are affiliated with online media platform Feenal Digital, were also fined following their conviction. Their lawyer, Abdy Nar Ndiaye, argued that the videos in question were satirical and should not have resulted in criminal prosecution.
Mandoumbe Diop, popularly known as Lamignou Darou, received a three-month prison sentence without suspension. Diop, who has more than 500,000 followers on TikTok, is the most prominent of the three and regularly attracts tens of thousands of views on his videos.
The two others, Magueye Diaw, known as Oustaz Thiep, and Moustapha Ndiaye, known as Ndiaye Touba, were each sentenced to two months in prison without parole. According to their lawyer, Diaw and Ndiaye were also fined 500,000 CFA francs (about $800) each.
The three influencers work with Feenal Digital, an online communications platform whose content has been viewed by some observers as supportive of former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and his PASTEF party. Sonko recently parted ways politically with President Faye after the latter launched his own political party last month.
Critics of the ruling say the convictions raise fresh concerns about free speech in Senegal, while neither Feenal Digital nor a government spokesperson immediately commented on the court’s decision.
