By Editorial
Fresh unrest hit Senegal’s capital Dakar yesterday after a court sentenced a leading opposition politician, Ousmane Sonko, to two years in jail for corrupting youth, undermining his chances of running for president next year.
Sonko, 48, was accused of raping a woman who worked in a massage parlour in 2021, when she was 20, and making death threats against her.
He denies wrongdoing and says the charges are politically motivated.
A criminal court cleared Sonko of rape, but found him guilty of a separate offence described in the penal code as immoral behavior towards individuals younger than 21.
This could prevent him from participating in February 2024 elections, according to Senegal’s electoral law. END.