Detained for about a month near Dakar, the Senegalese journalist Pape Alé Niang implemented on Friday the announcement made the day before in a press release published by the Coordination of Press Associations (CAP), which visited him that day.
“I have decided to observe a hunger strike to denounce my abduction, my sequestration and my psychological torture in the premises of the (police), my unjust and arbitrary imprisonment in the prison of Sébikotane”he said in this text.
“He started a hunger strike today. We couldn’t dissuade him.”Ibrahima Lissa Faye, an official of the CAP, which brings together several press unions, told AFP on Friday.
We all remember that at his first election President Macky Sall formally announced that no journalist would be in prison in Senegal during his exercise of power.
Christophe Deloire, Secretary General of Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
Detained in Sébikotane, Mr. Niang had announced that he would begin a hunger strike from Friday, in a press release published Thursday by the CAP which visited him that day.
Boss of the online news site “Dakar Matin”, the journalist was arrested on November 6 and then charged on November 9 for “disclosure of information likely to harm national defence”, “concealment of administrative and military documents” and “dissemination of false news likely to discredit public institutions”.
Senegal: a journalist in police custody
The Secretary General of Reporters Without Borders (RSF) Christophe Deloire on Thursday urged Senegalese President Macky Sall to respect his press freedom commitments during a visit to the journalist.
“We all remember that at his first election President Macky Sall formally announced that no journalist would be in prison in Senegal during his exercise of power”said Mr. Deloire, quoted in a press release from his organization.
According to the press unions, the authorities accuse Mr. Niang of having disseminated confidential messages on the security arrangements surrounding the interrogation of the main political opponent, Ousmane Sonko, on November 3 in a case of alleged rape, and of called to take to the street.
The arrest and subsequent detention of the journalist sparked a wave of criticism from the press and civil society against Mr. Sall. Many human rights organizations and the opposition demand his release.
Senegal is 73rd out of 180 in the latest press freedom ranking established by RSF. The country fell 24 places compared to 2021.
See as well :
Senegal: part of civil society denounces growing repression