Ousmane Sonko, who denies costs, doesn’t flip up for courtroom look in Dakar.
The trial of Senegalese opposition chief Ousmane Sonko for alleged rape has been instantly adjourned for per week, after opening in his absence at a courtroom within the capital, Dakar.
Sonko, who can be the mayor of the southern metropolis of Ziguinchor, was charged based mostly on a lady’s accusations that he assaulted her when she labored at a therapeutic massage salon. The 48-year-old has denied the fees and has accused President Macky Sall of attempting to stop him from working in elections subsequent 12 months. The federal government denies this.
“Sonko says he’s not attending courtroom as a result of his rights will not be being revered,” Al Jazeera’s Nicolas Haque reported on Tuesday from exterior the courtroom. “He doesn’t consider within the autonomy of the judicial system.”
A spokesperson for the federal government informed Al Jazeera the trial was a “personal matter” between two people and it didn’t concern it.
If convicted, Sonko faces as much as 10 years in jail and could be barred from working for president.
Protests erupted in Ziguinchor and the Dakar space on Monday, on the eve of Sonko’s scheduled courtroom look. The inside ministry mentioned a policeman died after being by chance crushed by an armoured automobile that had been deployed at demonstrations in Ziguinchor.
Crowds blocked roads with logs and burning tyres, throwing stones at police who responded with tear fuel, in accordance with studies.
Final week, Sonko, a former tax inspector, obtained a suspended six-month sentence for libel stemming from his accusations that the minister of tourism had embezzled funds, a cost the opposition chief denies.
‘Standstill’
The authorized drama embroiling Sonko has spurred greater than two years of tensions and sporadic unrest in Senegal as supporters – lots of whom are disenfranchised city youth – have heeded requires protests that usually spiral into violent clashes with safety forces.
Haque mentioned the trial has introduced Senegal to a “standstill”, citing incidents of violence, faculties shutting down, shops burning and bikes not being allowed on the highway.
“This isn’t only a trial over a rape case,” he added. “For the opposition, the tribunal … is utilized by President Sall to clamp down on the opposition.”
The rising tensions elevate the stakes forward of subsequent 12 months’s election which might see Sall vie for a controversial third time period, which the opposition says is unconstitutional.
Sall, 61, has neither confirmed nor denied that he plans to run, amid widespread hypothesis.
His opponents accuse him of searching for to weaken the competitors with false accusations and political trials earlier than the polls. The federal government denies this.
A whole lot rallied in Dakar final week within the newest present of protest in opposition to Sall’s potential bid for a 3rd time period.
Senegal’s new structure, adopted in 2016, limits presidential phrases to 2 five-year mandates. Nevertheless, Sall informed French newspaper L’Categorical in March that he might technically run as a result of the brand new structure reset the clock on his variety of phrases.
