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Senegal: Protests escalate after rape charge

Senegal: Protests escalate after rape charge

AARON ROSS SENEGALESE police fired tear gas at protesters outside a courthouse in the capital on Friday, where an opposition leader made his first court appearance since his arrest triggered two days of demonstrations across the country. A lawyer for Ousmane Sonko said he was being charged with rape and making threats. Sonko, a 46-year-old tax inspector with a strong following among the youth, has denied wrongdoing and says accusations against him are part of a pattern by the authorities of using criminal charges to block opponents from standing in elections. Since his arrest on Wednesday, his supporters have clashed…
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Senegal opposition leader arrested as supporters clash with police

Senegal opposition leader arrested as supporters clash with police

COOPER INVEEN and NGOUNDA DIONE Ousmane Sonko. Picture: Senflash/flickr  SENEGAL’S main opposition leader, Ousmane Sonko, was arrested yesterday after hundreds of his supporters clashed with police in the capital while protesting a rape accusation against him. An employee at a beauty salon accused Sonko, who finished third in the 2019 presidential election, of rape last month and he was summoned for questioning after his parliamentary immunity was removed last week. Sonko, a 46-year-old former tax inspector who enjoys significant support among younger Senegalese, has denied the allegation and accuses President Macky Sall's government of stirring up the charge to undermine…
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