By Staff Reporter
DAKAR, Senegal — A Senegalese court has sentenced three TikTok influencers to prison after finding them guilty over social media posts deemed insulting to President Bassirou Diomaye Faye.
The convictions have sparked concerns among critics who say the case raises fresh questions about freedom of expression and the treatment of political speech online in Senegal.
The three influencers are associated with Feenal Digital, an online content platform whose material has reportedly been viewed by some observers as favourable to former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, the leader of the PASTEF party.
The court handed the harshest sentence to Mandoumbe Diop, popularly known online as Lamignou Darou, who was sentenced to three months in prison without suspension.
Diop, who has more than 500,000 followers on TikTok, is the most prominent of the three influencers. His videos regularly attract tens of thousands of views.
Two other Feenal Digital creators — Magueye Diaw, known as Oustaz Thiep, and Moustapha Ndiaye, known as Ndiaye Touba — were each sentenced to two months in prison without suspension.
They were also ordered to pay fines of 500,000 CFA francs each, equivalent to approximately $800, according to their lawyer.
The three men were represented by lawyer Abdy Nar Ndiaye, who argued that the videos in question were comedic in nature and did not warrant criminal prosecution.
Feenal Digital describes itself as an online platform that promotes government and private-sector activities on Facebook.
Political tensions deepen
The court ruling comes amid growing political tensions between President Faye and Sonko, who were once close political allies and played central roles in the rise of the PASTEF movement.
Their relationship has deteriorated publicly in recent months, exposing divisions within Senegal’s ruling political camp.
Faye has also launched his own political party, further highlighting the political differences between the two leaders.
The imprisonment of the three influencers has therefore attracted additional attention because of the wider political tensions, with critics questioning whether criminal action against online commentators could have implications for freedom of expression in the country.
The case is likely to fuel further debate over the limits of political criticism, satire and freedom of speech on social media in Senegal.
