Senegal opposition leader Ousmane Sonko bags two yrs in prison for ‘corrupting youth’

Senegalese leading opposition figure, Ousmane Sonko has been sentenced to two years in prison on Thursday for “corrupting youth”.

The court acquitted Sonko, a candidate in the 2024 presidential election, of rape charges and issuing death threats, but jailed him for corrupting the country’s young people.

Al-Jazeera reported that Sonko, 48, was accused of raping a woman who worked in a beauty salon in 2021 and making death threats against her. He denied wrongdoing and has been boycotting court proceedings.

The case has sparked violent protests, with Sonko’s supporters denouncing the charges against him as politically motivated, which the government and justice officials deny.

With the verdict, the report said the politician will “probably spend the night in jail”.

“The judge will ask for a mandate for security forces to bring him to jail. All eyes are on Ousmane Sonko’s house. He says that he is living almost under house arrest. There’s a heavy security presence around his home. The next step is trying to get him out of his home and into jail”.

Corrupting young people, which includes using one’s position of power to have sex with people under age 21, is a criminal offense in Senegal that is punishable by up to five years in prison and a fine of up to more than $6,000.

Under Senegalese law, his conviction would bar Sonko from running in next year’s election, said Bamba Cisse, a defense lawyer.

“The conviction for corruption of youth hinders his eligibility because he was sentenced in absentia, so we can’t appeal,” Cisse said. Law professors in Senegal say the verdict can be appealed but only once Sonko is imprisoned.

One of Sonko’s lawyers Djiby Diagne said, “Ousmane’s Sonko’s candidacy is in jeopardy”.

The court did not rule on whether he should be arrested.

“The decision to arrest him or not depends on the public prosecutor,” Diagne said.

Tensions were rising across the country before Sonko’s conviction and sentencing. Tight security surrounded the court as well as Sonko’s house and many businesses closed for fear of violence.

Shortly after the verdict was announced, clashes erupted at the main university in the capital. Protesters threw rocks at police officers, who fired back with tear gas. At least one car was burned.