A Senegalese court has sentenced three TikTok influencers to prison terms for posts that allegedly insulted President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, a ruling that has drawn criticism over freedom of expression and online speech in the country.
The three content creators are affiliated with the online platform Feenal Digital, which some observers say produces material favourable to former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, leader of the PASTEF party. Feenal Digital describes itself as a platform that promotes government and private-sector activities.
The case comes amid rising tensions within Senegal’s ruling political camp. President Faye and Sonko, once close allies who helped build the PASTEF movement, have publicly fallen out. Faye recently launched his own political party, widening the rift between the two figures and exposing deeper divisions in the ruling establishment.
The sentenced influencers
- Mandoumbe Diop (online name: Lamignou Darou) received the heaviest sentence: three months in prison without suspension. He is the most followed of the three, with more than 500,000 TikTok followers, and his videos routinely attract tens of thousands of views.
- Magueye Diaw (Oustaz Thiep) and Moustapha Ndiaye (Ndiaye Touba) were each sentenced to two months in prison without suspension. They were also fined 500,000 CFA francs (approximately $800) each.
Their lawyer, Abdy Nar Ndiaye, argued that the TikTok videos were comedic in nature and did not warrant criminal prosecution.
Story by : Emmanuel Nettey
