By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Independent News ExpressIndependent News Express
  • Home
  • International
    InternationalShow More
    United Nations
    4th International Conference On Financing For Development Delivers Renewed Hope And Action For Sustainable Development
    14 hours ago
    The African Development Bank and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) scale up drive for sustainable urbanization in Africa
    AfDB, UN-Habitat Scale Up Drive For Sustainable Urbanisation In Africa
    2 days ago
    UN
    North Africa: Green Climate Fund Approves Record $300m For FAO-designed Projects In Papua New Guinea, Saint Lucia, The Sahel
    3 days ago
    UNICEF
    How Wars Across Middle East, North Africa Affecting Children – UNICEF
    3 days ago
    UNDP
    UN Development Programme Welcomes Historic Deal On Sustainable Development Even Amidst Global Turmoil
    4 days ago
  • Africa
    Africa
    Show More
    Top News
    Tunisian President Saied Under Pressure To Resign After ‘Fiasco’ Poll
    3 years ago
    United Nations Experts Charge President Of Zimbabwe To Reject Bill Restricting Civic Space
    2 years ago
    No Going Back On Accra 2023 All African Games – Ghana Govt
    2 years ago
    Latest News
    Ooni’s Wife, Olori Temitope Enitan-Ogunwusi Takes Ile Ife Royalty To ADWIN Launch In Cote d’Ivoire
    3 weeks ago
    Independent UN Body Finds Systemic Racism Against Africans And People Of African Descent
    3 weeks ago
    Public Exit: Why South Africa Businesses Are Moving To Private Cloud
    4 weeks ago
    Cameroon Tops List Of World’s Most Neglected Displacement Crises
    1 month ago
  • Corporate News
    • Media Outreach
  • Politics
    Politics
    Show More
    Top News
    Nobody Can Thwart The Will Of Osun People, Adeleke Insists He Won Osun Election
    2 years ago
    Ex Boxing Champion, Akpan Hails Tinubu’s Victory, Applauds MC Oluomo
    2 years ago
    Lagos Speakership: Why Lawmakers-elect Endorsed Obasa – Temitope
    2 years ago
    Latest News
    Lagos LG Poll: Tunde Disco/Ganiyu Obasa Intensify Campaign In Agege
    1 week ago
    PHOTOS: Vinod Obasa Joins Other Lagos APC LG Candidates At Sanwo-Olu’s Reception
    1 week ago
    Lagos Lawmaker Praises Tinubu For Helping Nigeria Breathe Again
    4 weeks ago
    LG Election: Stakeholders Appeal To APC Not To Allow Chairmen Run For 3rd term
    2 months ago
  • News
    • Agriculture
    • Breaking News
    • Tech
    • Maritime
    • Crime
    • Art & Culture
    News
    Show More
    Top News
    Ondo Governor, Akeredolu Begins Construction Of First Flyover In Akure
    2 years ago
    Celebration Of Life: Reverend Adewumi Jegede Of Later House Of God Assembly Buried Amid Pomp
    1 year ago
    Pa Abdulfatah Amoo Ayanwale
    Pa Ayanwale Dies At 76, Fidau Prayers Holds 8 August
    2 years ago
    Latest News
    CFE Foundation Seeks Sponsors to Sustain Humanitarian Programs Amidst Funding Challenges
    14 hours ago
    2025 World Drug Day: CIKDAS, Flour Mills, Planet Bottling Company Partner To Combat Drug Abuse Amongst Youths
    4 days ago
    D2D Satellite Comms: Nigeria’s Space Research Agency Signs MoU With Chinese Firm, Galaxy Space
    2 weeks ago
    Substance Use Prevention In Focus As NDLEA, UNODC Unveil 2025 World Drug Day Activities
    2 weeks ago
  • Entertainment
    • Comedy
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Concert & Events
    Entertainment
    Show More
    Top News
    Creative Industries, A Catalyst To Drive Investment & Business Opportunities In U.S. And Africa
    3 years ago
    Davido, Wizkid Join Afro Nation Portugal 2023
    2 years ago
    Nigeria Idol S8: Constance’s eviction and other highlights from week 7
    2 years ago
    Latest News
    Local Content Powers African Dreams
    4 hours ago
    The Drama Returns As BBNaija ‘No Loose Guard’ Reunion Premieres June 23
    2 weeks ago
    You Can’t Fake it — James Omekwe On MultiChoice’s Impact On African Filmmaking
    3 weeks ago
    Jkenova and Ellacentric Exit Nigerian Idol Season 10 In Emotional Farewell
    3 weeks ago
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion
    • Love & Life
    • Food & Drink
    • Travel & Tourism
    • Relationship
    • Sex
    Lifestyle
    Show More
    Top News
    Ooni Of Ife Honours Chairman SABRE West Africa At Olojo Festival Dinner
    2 years ago
    LENT 2023: Nigerians Knocking On Heaven’s Door By Bishop Emmanuel Badejo
    2 years ago
    Happiness
    Eight Ways To Stay Happier In 2025, According To Science
    6 months ago
    Latest News
    Noble Call to Service: Inside the Induction of 104 New Knights of St. Mulumba
    3 weeks ago
    Joining The Knighthood Brings You Closer To God -Sir Eva Njemanze
    3 weeks ago
    Africa Tech Festival Unveils Strategic Themes For 2025 Event,
    3 weeks ago
    Lagos SWAN Joins UN To Celebrate World Nutrition Month At Unilag Confab
    1 month ago
  • Business
    • Banking & Finance
    • Oil & Gas
    BusinessShow More
    Unity Bank
    Unity Bank Empowers Young Entrepreneurs With ₦16M Business Grant
    1 day ago
    NNPCL Board Accused Of Planning Lavish Party In Rwanda Amidst N210tn Financial Scandal
    2 weeks ago
    Can the African Energy Bank Transform the Continent’s Refining and Downstream Future?
    3 weeks ago
    Lagos Will Continue To Lead Initiatives That Accelerate Economic Diversification – Sanwo-Olu
    1 month ago
    Afreximbank
    Afreximbank Reports Strong Performance For Q1 2025 In Line With expectations
    1 month ago
  • Health
    Health
    Show More
    Top News
    MUST READ: Palm Wine Lowers Blood Sugar, Cholesterol, And Supports Heart Health
    3 years ago
    West Africa, Eastern Europe Lead In Cocaine Trafficking Hubs
    2 years ago
    Uk’s £15m Funding To Strengthen Health Workforce In Kenya, Nigeria, Ghana
    2 years ago
    Latest News
    Online Education Can Enhance Clinical Guideline Use By Over 50% 
    3 weeks ago
    The Hidden Lifeline – Blood Security And Africa’s Health Agenda By Dr Allan Pamba
    3 weeks ago
    Apepa or Arterial Blockage? The Urgency of Self-Care After 45 By Babafemi Ojudu
    4 weeks ago
    Roche Launches Diagnostics Operations In Nigeria,
    1 month ago
  • More
    • Sports
    • Aviation/Transportation
    • Deliverance Hour
    • Industry & Labour
    • Insurance
    • Interview
    • Judiciary
    • Metro
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Religious
    • Romance
    • Science & Discovery
Reading: Senegal: Amnesty International Worries Over Deadly Crackdown On Protesters
Share
Notification Show More
Aa
Independent News ExpressIndependent News Express
Aa
  • Home
  • International
  • Africa
  • Corporate News
  • Politics
  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Lifestyle
  • Business
  • Health
  • More
Search
  • Home
  • International
  • Africa
  • Corporate News
    • Media Outreach
  • Politics
  • News
    • Agriculture
    • Breaking News
    • Tech
    • Maritime
    • Crime
    • Art & Culture
  • Entertainment
    • Comedy
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Television
    • Concert & Events
  • Lifestyle
    • Fashion
    • Love & Life
    • Food & Drink
    • Travel & Tourism
    • Relationship
    • Sex
  • Business
    • Banking & Finance
    • Oil & Gas
  • Health
  • More
    • Sports
    • Aviation/Transportation
    • Deliverance Hour
    • Industry & Labour
    • Insurance
    • Interview
    • Judiciary
    • Metro
    • Opinion
    • Property
    • Religious
    • Romance
    • Science & Discovery
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
  • Advertise
© 2022 Foxiz News Network. Ruby Design Company. All Rights Reserved.
Independent News Express > Blog > Africa > Senegal: Amnesty International Worries Over Deadly Crackdown On Protesters
Africa

Senegal: Amnesty International Worries Over Deadly Crackdown On Protesters

Last updated: 2023/06/10 at 8:12 AM
2 years ago
Share
SHARE

The Senegalese authorities must immediately carry out an independent and transparent investigation into the deaths of at least 23 people, including three children, during the violent demonstrations of 1 and 2 June 2023, and shed light on the presence of armed civilian personnel operating alongside the security forces, Amnesty International said today after collecting testimonies and documenting the deaths that took place during the demonstrations. 

According to Amnesty International, at least 23 people have been killed during the violent protests that have broken out in Dakar and Ziguinchor since 1 June, and a further 390 have been injured, according to the Senegalese Red Cross. The demonstrations have been marred by a number of human rights violations, including excessive use of force and attacks on freedom of expression and information, with access to social media and mobile Internet being suspended. 

Amnesty International spoke to 18 people, including witnesses to the fatal use of force and relatives of the victims. The organisation also documented human rights violations by analysing videos and other documents, such as death certificates and autopsy reports attesting, in particular, to the gunshot wounds that led to the deaths of several demonstrators. 

Bloody repression 

- Advertisement -
Ad imageAd image

According to our figures, at least 23 people died in Dakar and Ziguinchor during the violent demonstrations of 1 and 2 June, several of whom were shot. A number of public buildings and private businesses were ransacked by the demonstrators, including the University of Dakar and Pikine Town Hall. Amnesty International spoke to the relatives and families of those injured and killed.  

Bassirou Sarr, 31, a tailor and resident of Pikine Guinaw-Rails (a Dakar suburb), died after being shot in the head on 2 June. According to his brother Issa: 

“Bassirou had his workshop near Camp Thiaroye and, on Friday 2 June, there were spontaneous demonstrations in the area. Like several others, he had gone out to see the crowd of gendarmes and demonstrators near the workshop when he was shot in the head. He died instantly and the soldiers from the Thiaroye camp took his body back to the camp. They told the gendarmes and demonstrators who were right in front of their camp to clear off. We lost our brother and we want justice. We haven’t even been able to recover his body and bury it properly since Friday.” 

Amnesty International was able to view Bassirou Sarr’s death certificate, issued by the Idrissa Pouye General Hospital in Grand-Yoff, which states that his death was the result of a “head trauma caused by a firearm”. 

Like Bassirou Sarr, rapper-producer Abdoulaye Camara, known as “Baba Kana”, 38, also lost his life in the protests. 

“On Saturday 3 June, Abdoulaye had gone to visit one of his friends in Ouagou Niayes. On the way back to Niarry Tally, he encountered a crowd of demonstrators and police and was shot. In videos that have circulated widely on social media, we can see that he was then beaten by police officers from the HLM police station while on the ground and dragged into the street. Throughout the day on Sunday, we went back and forth to the HLM and Dieuppeul police stations to find out if he was there but it was the Dieuppeul fire brigade who told us that a body supposedly ‘picked up in the street’ had indeed been deposited there by the police on Saturday evening. Finally, on Monday, we found his body at the morgue of the Dalal Jamm hospital in Guediawaye,” Djiby*, a relative of Abdoulaye Camara, told Amnesty International. 

Amnesty International was able to analyse several videos showing the police beating Abdoulaye Camara while he was on the ground and visibly in a bad state. 

Fallou Sall, a 17-year-old scrap metal worker from Thiaroye-sur-Mer, was shot on Friday 2 June on his way home from work. According to his father, who spoke to Amnesty International, he succumbed to his injuries the following day. He had been shot in the neck and, according to his father, lay in hospital for a whole day without being operated on. His family are awaiting the results of the autopsy.  

In Ziguinchor, Souleymane Sano (25) and Ousmane Badio (17) were shot by police during demonstrations on 1 and 2 June. 

Issa, a friend of Souleymane Sano, told Amnesty International: “I was with Souleymane Sano near the Complexe Cia Hotel when a police officer crouched down and shot him. We had left the Lindiane neighbourhood at around 5pm on 2 June to demonstrate. Near the hotel, the police called for reinforcements and fired tear-gas grenades to disperse us, causing us to flee. Souleymane found himself up a blind alley and was hiding behind a lamppost when the police officer came down from the main road, took aim and shot him. He was wounded in his side. I went over to him and shook him but he didn’t respond. Along with other demonstrators, he was taken on a Jakarta motorbike to the regional hospital, where he was pronounced dead.” 

Amnesty International was able to consult Souleymane Sano’s death certificate, which concluded that he “died violently from chest trauma caused by the impact of a firearm projectile”. 

Ousmane Badio, aged 17, was also fatally shot on 1 June in Ziguinchor during the demonstrations. According to his uncle and grandfather, Ousmane was shot 200 metres from his home in Korentas (a district of Ziguinchor), where demonstrations were taking place. “Ousmane left the house at 5pm on Thursday 1 June. 15 minutes later, people came to tell us that Ousmane was on the ground. He didn’t last long outside. He had been hit in the chest and was losing a lot of blood. He was taken to Silence Hospital but lost a lot of blood on the way. He was pronounced dead on arrival. There were demonstrations near our home; young people were throwing stones and the police were responding with tear gas. Witnesses told us that it was one of these police officers who had shot Ousmane and that, later, another individual, Souleymane Sarr, was shot by the same officers. His father has been in a state of shock and unable to speak since that day; Ousmane was his eldest son.” 

Armed men in civilian clothes alongside the security forces 

The organisation also noted the presence of armed men dressed in civilian clothes alongside the security forces. These men, holding weapons and violently attacking the demonstrators, were clearly identified in videos circulating widely on social media and which Amnesty International has been able to analyse. At a press conference held on Sunday 4 June, Chief Inspector Ibrahima Diop, Director of Public Security, denied the presence of members of the defence or security forces dressed in civilian clothes and accused elements of “hidden forces” from abroad of having infiltrated the demonstrators.   

Amnesty International recalls that the Guidelines of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) stipulate that officers deployed in connection with demonstrations must wear visible individual identification markings while in operation. 

Infringements of the right to freedom of expression  

Between 4 and 6 June, the authorities decided to suspend Internet access via mobile data. Access to social media was suspended between 2 and 7 June. On 1 June, Walf TV’s signal was cut off without prior notification (as required by Article 192 of the Press Code), interrupting their coverage of the demonstrations. The National Council for Audiovisual Regulation (CNRA) has denied any responsibility for this blackout, the third since March 2021. Walf TV’s YouTube channel, on which the channel had tried to broadcast its programmes following this suspension, was also disrupted. 

In 2020, in a decision concerning Togo, the ECOWAS Court of Justice ruled that the deliberate restriction of Internet access during demonstrations was a violation of the right to freedom of information and expression.  

“These restrictions on the right to freedom of expression and information constitute arbitrary measures contrary to international law, and cannot be justified by security requirements. We call on the authorities to restore the signal of Walf television and to refrain from restricting access to social media,” said Samira Daoud. 

You Might Also Like

Ooni’s Wife, Olori Temitope Enitan-Ogunwusi Takes Ile Ife Royalty To ADWIN Launch In Cote d’Ivoire

Independent UN Body Finds Systemic Racism Against Africans And People Of African Descent

Public Exit: Why South Africa Businesses Are Moving To Private Cloud

Cameroon Tops List Of World’s Most Neglected Displacement Crises

ECOWAS Marathon Race Director Okon Congratulates Commission on 50th Anniversary

TAGGED: Amnesty International, Senegal
INadminNG June 10, 2023 June 10, 2023
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Whatsapp LinkedIn Telegram Email Print
Previous Article Great Abeokuta 10Km Race Unveils Lotus Bank As Headline Sponsor
Next Article Dynasty Scouting League: Utility Sports Boss Laments Team’s Poor Run
about us

Independent News Express (iNews Express), a publication of 4Ds Nigeria Limited, is birthed out of the desires of the founding fathers to report News as it is.

We value Professionalism, Excellence, Service, Creativity and Integrity.

The Company

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy & Policy

Quick Links

  • Advertise with us
  • Newsletters
  • Deal

Categories

Find Us on Socials

© Independent News Express. All Rights Reserved.
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?