A court in Senegal handed opposition leader and presidential aspirant Ousmane Sonko a two-year prison sentence, sparking protests in the capital Dakar
Sonko, 48, was accused of raping a woman who worked in a massage parlour in 2021, when she was 20, and making death threats against her. He denies wrongdoing and says the charges are politically motivated.
Sonko's PASTEF party said the verdict was part of a political plot and called on citizens in a statement to "stop all activity and take to the streets". Sonko did not attend the court hearing. But Justice Minister Ismaila Madior Fall said the opposition leader could now be taken to prison at any time and police had been stationed around his home in Dakar on public safety grounds.
A former tax inspector who came third in the last election, Sonko has tapped into frustrations with President Macky Sall that have grown since he was elected in 2012.
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