A court in Senegal has sentenced three TikTok influencers to prison terms and fines for allegedly insulting President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, in a case that has drawn criticism from free-speech advocates.
Mandoumbe Diop, popularly known as Lamignou Darou, was sentenced to three months in prison without suspension, while Magueye Diaw, known as Oustaz Thiep, and Moustapha Ndiaye, known as Ndiaye Touba, were each handed two-month prison sentences.
The three men work for Feenal Digital, an online communications platform whose content is viewed by some as sympathetic to former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko and his PASTEF party.
Their lawyer, Abdy Nar Ndiaye, said the TikTok posts at the centre of the case were intended as comedy and did not warrant criminal prosecution. Diaw and Ndiaye were also fined 500,000 CFA francs, equivalent to about 800 US dollars.
Diop, who has more than half a million followers on TikTok, is regarded as the most prominent of the three influencers, with some of his videos attracting tens of thousands of views.
The convictions come amid growing political tensions in Senegal following a split between President Faye and his former political ally Sonko. President Faye launched his own political party last month, further deepening the divide within the governing camp.
Critics have condemned the prosecution of the influencers, arguing that the sentences represent a worrying development for freedom of expression in the West African country.
Source: Reuters
