Senegal court jails 3 TikTok influencers for insulting President Faye

A court in Senegal has sentenced three TikTok influencers to prison after finding them guilty of insulting President Bassirou Diomaye Faye in a video shared on the social media platform.

The three influencers were convicted after prosecutors said the video contained remarks deemed offensive to the head of state.

The case was initiated after the public prosecutor ordered an investigation into the footage, which was recorded during the Magal of Mbacké Bari and later circulated on TikTok.

According to local media reports, the three defendants were arrested by Senegal’s Special Cybersecurity Division (DSC) before being questioned in the presence of their lawyers.

Prosecutors subsequently ordered that they be held in custody on charges of insulting the head of state.

The ruling marks the latest in a series of prosecutions in Senegal involving comments made on social media platforms, particularly TikTok, under laws criminalising insults against the president.

Several activists and content creators have been arrested or convicted in recent months over online remarks directed at President Faye and other senior officials.

The convictions have reignited debate over freedom of expression in Senegal, with critics arguing that criminal sanctions for speech risk undermining civil liberties. Supporters of the prosecutions, however, maintain that public officials should be protected from defamatory and abusive content disseminated online.

President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who took office in 2024, has faced increasing political tensions in recent months, with several legal cases involving political activists and social media users drawing national attention.

Asaase 99.5 Accra, Asaase 98.5 Kumasi, Asaase 100.3 Cape Coast, AsaasePa 107.3 (Accra)
Affiliates: Bawku FM 101.5, Bead FM 99.9 (Bimbilla), Mining City Radio 89.5 (Tarkwa), Nandom FM 101.9, Nyatefe Radio 94.5 (Dzodze), Sissala Radio 96.3 (Tumu), Somuaa FM 89.9 (Gushegu), Stone City 90.7 (Ho) and Wale FM 106.9 (Walewale)
Listen online: asaaseradio.com, Sound Garden and TuneIn
Follow us:
X: @asaaseradio995, @Asaase985ksi, @asaase1003, asaasepa1073
Instagram: asaaseradio99.5, asaase985ksi, asaase100.3, asaasepa107.3
LinkedIn: company/asaaseradio995. TikTok: @asaaseradio99.5
Facebook: asaase99.5, asaase985ksi, Asaase100.3, AsaasePa107.3
YouTube: AsaaseRadioXtra
Join the conversation. Accra: call 020 000 9951/050 009 0121, WhatsApp 020 000 0995. Kumasi: call 059 415 7985 or call/WhatsApp 020 631 5260. Cape Coast: call/WhatsApp 059 388 2652.
#AsaaseRadio
#AsaasePa
#TheVoiceofOurLand