Senegal court jails three TikTok influencers for insulting the president

DAKAR, Aug 6 - A Senegalese court sentenced three TikTok influencers to serve prison time and pay a fine for insulting the president, their lawyer said in a video posted on Facebook, a move that critics said was an assault on free speech in the West African country.

• The three men worked for online communications channel Feenal Digital, which produces content that some say favors Senegal's ousted Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, the head of the PASTEF party.

• Sonko recently split from his ally, President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, who launched his own party last month.

• Feenal Digital aims to promote government and private-sector activities, according to its description on Facebook.

• Mandoumbe Diop, known as Lamignou Darou, was sentenced to three months in prison without suspension. He appeared to be the most influential of the three, with over half a million followers on his TikTok channel. His videos often draw tens of thousands of views.

• Magueye Diaw, known as Oustaz Thiep, and Moustapha Ndiaye, known as Ndiaye Touba, were each sentenced to two months without parole, Feenal Digital said on Facebook.

• Their lawyer, Abdy Nar Ndiaye, described their posts on TikTok as comical and said they did not merit criminal prosecution. He said Diaw and Ndiaye were fined 500,000 CFA ($800).

• Feenal Digital and a government spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment. REUTERS