Senegal: Two lawmakers handed six months in prisons each for beating female colleague

A court in the Senegalese capital Dakar has condemned two members of the parliament to six months in prison each for beating a female colleague during an incident in the legislature last month.

Massata Samb and Mamadou Niang, both from the opposition, attacked Ami Ndiaye from the ruling coalition during a parliament session on the budget on December 1st last year.

Samb slapped Ndiaye as she was speaking while Niang also gave her kick in the stomach though the female was pregnant.

The two men reportedly assaulted the woman because she attacked their religious leader Moustapha Sy, who is also member of the party, the Parti de l’unité et du rassemblement (PUR).

The faulty lawmakers were arrested on December 15 and were reportedly tried four days later by the court of criminal offense in Dakar.

The court also fined them to pay $8,100 to Ndiaye. The two defendants can appeal the court ruling but will remain in prison.