Senegalese journalist and commentator Abdou Nguer was released on November 12, 2025, after spending seven months in detention over a series of social media posts deemed offensive to state authorities.
Nguer, a commentator for the media outlet SEN TV, was arrested on April 14, 2025, following a summons by the Colobane Police Division in Dakar. After several hours of questioning, he was placed in custody in connection with a TikTok post that appeared on the account “Abdou Nguer Seul.” The post referenced the late Mamadou Badio Camara, President of Senegal’s Constitutional Council, who had died just days earlier, and read: “The people demand an autopsy on the deceased Badio Camara.”
Authorities alleged that Nguer had authored the post, which they described as disrespectful and likely to provoke public disorder. The journalist denied any involvement, insisting that he neither managed nor owned the “Abdou Nguer Seul” account. He explained that his verified accounts were “Abdou Nguer Official” and “Awa Nguer.”
Subsequent investigations by the police’s Research Section identified another individual, Pape Amadou Ndiaye Diaw, as the owner of the contentious account. Diaw later admitted to publishing the TikTok post. Despite this revelation, both men were brought before the Third Chamber of the Dakar Court on April 17, 2025, which opened a formal judicial inquiry and ordered their remand in custody.
On May 20, the same court issued a second detention order, charging both men with “spreading false news, insulting the Head of State, and promoting crime or misdemeanour.” During an October 8 hearing before the Correctional Court, prosecutors requested a two-year prison sentence, including one year of imprisonment and a fine of 500,000 CFA francs (about USD 800) for Nguer, and six months with a fine of 100,000 CFA francs (about USD 160) for Diaw.
In its final ruling on November 12, the court acquitted both men of spreading false news and promoting crime but found Nguer guilty of insulting the Head of State. He was sentenced to six months in prison, including three months to be served, and fined 200,000 CFA francs (approximately USD 320). Having already spent seven months in preventive detention, Nguer was released immediately.
Nguer’s detention and trial have reignited debate about the use of Senegal’s criminal code to penalise journalists and social media users for speech-related offences. Press freedom advocates have repeatedly called for the decriminalisation of press and online offences to prevent prolonged detentions over content deemed critical of public officials.
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) welcomes the imminent release of Abdou Nguer, which marks the end of a months-long legal ordeal that sparked debate over freedom of expression and the criminalisation of online speech in Senegal and highlights the persistent tension between safeguarding public figures’ reputations and upholding journalists’ and citizens’ rights to free opinion and criticism.
