Activists arrested in Senegal, outstanding academic handed prison sentence in Mali

An activist and a preacher were arrested in Senegal and a well-known academic was sentenced to two years in prison in Mali, all for criticizing their respective governments, casting a shadow over basic human rights and mainly freedom of expression in both countries.

The two individuals were taken into police custody in Senegal’s capital, Dakar, after filming videos criticizing the country’s Prime Minister, Ousmane Sonko, for perceived tolerance towards gay people. The two men are reportedly being investigated for “spreading false news” and “offending” the head of government. Judicial police arrested activist Bah Diakhate on Monday (20 May) and preacher Cheikh Ahmed Tidiane Ndao a day later both for criticizing Sonko for his earlier statement on LGBTQ rights, in particular on his alleged complacency towards LGBTQ issues. Sonko spoke about the issue during a visit last week by French far-left politician Jean-Luc Melenchon, saying that same-sex relationships were “not accepted, but tolerated.”

This comes as Malian court has sentenced a well-known academic, Etienne Fakaba Sissoko, to two years in prison, one of which is suspended, for criticizing the military regime. “We are not surprised, even if we said we had faith in the justice system,” said his lawyer Ibrahim Marhouf Sacko, referring to Sissoko’s case. He said he would appeal the judgement.

Sissoko, the West African country’s top economist and professor at the University of Bamako, is the latest victim of a crackdown on criticism by the junta-led government who took power in 2020. He was charged with “harming the reputation of the state,” “defamation” and “dissemination of false news disturbing the public peace” over his 2023 book “Propaganda, Agitation and Harassment, Government Communication During the Transition in Mali.”