In response to the escalating violence triggered by the detention of prominent opposition figure Ousmane Sonko, Senegal has taken the drastic step of suspending TikTok.

Seven new charges were brought up against Sonko on Saturday. The accusations against Sonko include statements he made, demonstrations he conducted, and other incidents since 2021, including an incident at his home a day earlier that led to his arrest. Sonko's prior incarceration and trial prompted violent-turned-deadly protests.

The popular video-sharing platform is accused of being a medium for spreading messages of hatred and subversion that threaten the country's stability, Dakar said.

The authorities had already cut mobile data access on Monday, a move that drew criticism from various human rights organizations, along with the dissolution of Sonko's political party.

Moussa Bocar Thiam, the Minister of Communications and the Digital Economy, justified the TikTok suspension, stating that the platform had become the preferred social network for those with ill intentions to incite violence.

The unrest erupted after Sonko was charged with multiple serious offenses, including fomenting insurrection, undermining state security, and associating with a terrorist body.

Undermining state security, criminal association, activities threatening public security and causing major political discontent, and stealing are among the allegations.

Prosecutor Abdoul Karim Diop stated that the arrest is unrelated to a moral corruption case Sonko was tried for. 

Related News

Senegal cuts internet again amid widening crackdown on opposition

Clashes erupt between police, protesters over vote delay: Senegal

According to the public broadcaster, RTS, Sonko snatched a phone from a female police officer Friday whose car broke down in front of his residence in the capital and then "immediately sent a subversive message" to his fans on social media, claiming that security forces stationed outside his home were filming him. 

Sonko's arrest had previously been reported by numerous acquaintances, including his director of protocol. Prior to his arrest, Sonko Tweeted a photo of police officers who he stated were stationed outside his home and recording him. Sonko claimed he "snatched the phone" and demanded that they "unlock it and delete the photos they took, which they had refused to do."

In response, Sonko urged his supporters to express their disapproval peacefully. He called for a "concert of saucepans, horns, and firecrackers" on Saturday evening and encouraged his supporters to wear red as a sign of protest, inviting them to gather from 8:30 pm to 9:00 pm to voice their discontent and demand President Macky Sall's peaceful departure from office.

The ongoing protests have resulted in multiple deaths, with at least three people killed, while two others were killed after someone threw a petrol bomb on a bus outside the Senegalese capital. Though no clear link between the bus attack and the protests has been established, the situation remains tense.

Three parked buses in the city of Thies were targeted with petrol bombs, though they resulted in no casualties.

Human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch (HRW) and the International Federation for Human Rights (FDIH), have strongly condemned the government's decision to dissolve Ousmane Sonko's party, PASTEF.

"The government's decision to dissolve PASTEF violates freedom of expression, association, peaceful assembly, and democratic participation," Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a statement Tuesday evening.

Amnesty International has also voiced concerns over the internet restrictions imposed by the government.

Sonko, who already faces convictions in two other cases, could be sentenced to between five and 20 years in prison for the fresh charges, according to his legal team. In a separate case in June, Sonko was sentenced in absentia to two years in prison for moral corruption, leading to fatal clashes that resulted in at least 16 deaths.