A prosecutor in Senegal on Wednesday called for a 10-year prison sentence in the rape case against opposition leader Ousmane Sonko.
Highly popular among young people, Sonko has branded the trial a political plot aimed at scuttling his bid for the 2024 presidency.
The trial resumed in a court in the capital Dakar on Tuesday despite Sonko's failure for the second time running to attend the hearing.said he would go to court if his safety could be guaranteed. His lawyers say he did not receive a summons.There was a strong security presence in the capital amid fears of protests that have flared sporadically since the 48-year-old was first arrested in 2021.
The opposition leader denies any assault, saying he went to the salon for a massage for chronic back pain. Complainant Adji Sarr, 20, maintained her accusations in Tuesday's hearing, saying she had been abused five times by Sonko. She also said she had received death threats.A decision is expected to be handed down on 1 June.
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