World News | Senegalese prosecutors appeal opposition leader’s sentence

DAKAR (Senegal), March 31 (AP) — Prosecutors in Senegal had sought two years in prison for opposition leader Ousmane Sankoh, but he was given a lesser two-month suspended sentence for defamation. His supporters who filed an appeal say the case is politically motivated.

Thursday’s verdict allows Sonko to run for president next year, although he still faces unrelated criminal charges in a pending rape case and would be ineligible if convicted. Sonko is widely considered to be the top opposition candidate in next year’s Senegalese elections.

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Sonko has not yet decided whether to appeal the verdict in the defamation case, his lawyer Bamba Cisse told The Associated Press.

Sonko was also ordered to pay about $330,000 to Tourism Minister Mame Mbaye Niang, who accused the politician of defamation and public insults.

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Neither Sonko nor his lawyers were present for sentencing Thursday.

Previously, every time Sonko appeared in court triggered protests on the streets of the capital Dakar, and Sonko himself was forcibly taken away from the car by the police twice. Demonstrations took place not only in Dakar, but in cities across the country.

Supporters of Sonko see the charges against him as the latest attempt to shorten his political career. Sonko came third in Senegal’s 2019 presidential election and called on President Macky Sall to publicly announce that he would not seek a third term.

The ruling party says Saar should be allowed to run after a 2016 constitutional change – which was enacted during Saar’s presidency – changed the presidential term to five years.

Sonko also faces rape charges after a female massage salon employee said she was beaten by him. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison and will be barred from running for president. A date for the trial has not yet been set. (Associated Press)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)