On August 5, 2026, the Dakar Court sentenced three supporters of Senegal’s Pastef party who are also commentators for Feeñal Digital TV over a video deemed offensive to Senegal’s President, Bassirou Diomaye Faye.
Following the circulation of the video on social media, the three, Lamignou Darou, Oustaz Thiep, and Ndiaye Touba, were arrested on July 27, 2026, by officers of the Special Cybersecurity Division. The officers raided the premises of their newsroom as they were preparing to go on air, and took the three into custody.
Although they did not explicitly mention the President’s name, many people inferred that certain statements made in the video were directed at President Diomaye Faye.
In the video, the three political activists reportedly criticised and referred to President Faye as a traitor, saying, “the one who betrayed Pastef’s vision,” while expressing ill wishes, including that he, the President, suffers a stroke and becomes paralysed.
Consequently, the Public Prosecutor opened an investigation into the matter and ordered their arrest afterwards.
On July 30, 2026, the three were brought before the Dakar Public Prosecutor’s Office and charged with “offending the head of state” and “speech contrary to public morals,” under articles 254 and 257 of the Senegalese Penal Code.
They were found guilty of both charges on August 5, 2026. Darou was sentenced to three months, while Thiep and Touba were each sentenced to two months in prison. The three activists were also fined CFAF 500,000 (approximately US$880).
This sentence comes amid a tense political climate that has persisted for several months, following the tensions between former leaders of the Pastef party, President Diomaye Faye and former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, who is now the President of the National Assembly (Parliament).
On July 25, 2026, Diomaye Faye withdrew from the Pastef party and launched his own political party called “KIIRAAY – Les Patriotes Républicains”. This sparked frustration and varied reactions among Pastef supporters and led to increased criticism of President Faye.
The case of Darou, Thiep, and Touba reflects a recurring pattern in which authorities in Senegal show little tolerance for speech offences by media and political figures.
Between 2025 and 2026, at least five cases of sentencing of journalists and political figures for “offending the President” have been recorded. These include journalists Daouda Ndiaye, Doudou Coulibaly, Bachir Fofana, and Badara Gadiaga, as well as former member of parliament Moustapha Diakhaté.
While all individuals exercising their right to freedom of expression should do so responsibly, the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) calls on Senegalese authorities to refrain from resorting to deprivation of liberty as a means of addressing speech-related offences.
