“ It’s really worrying to see the situation deteriorate so quickly in a country which had a stable democracy for a while. » Nancy Kankam Kusi, of the civil society organization Wacsi, member of Civicus Monitor, is concerned about the situation in Senegal. This platform for research and evaluation of civil liberties around the world denounces a shrinking of the Senegalese democratic space in recent months. Explanations.
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With our correspondent in Dakar, Léa-Lisa Westerhoff
THE Senegal is designated as one of the democracies where civil liberties are rapidly deteriorating.
The platform for research and evaluation of civil liberties around the world, Civicus Monitor, denounces a shrinking of democratic space in recent months and places the country on the list of democracies to watch.
“ This is all the more worrying in the context of the elections »
Among the areas of concern: dissolution of the African Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity (Pastef), the party of the opponent Ousmane Sonko, and the arrest of the latter. But also the use of excessive and lethal force to suppress demonstrations in Senegal, just like thearrest of several journalists.
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For Nancy Kankam Kusi, of the civil society organization Wacsi, based in Ghana and member of the Civicus Monitor platform, the alarm bells must be sounded. “ It’s really worrying to see the situation deteriorate so quickly in a country which had a stable democracy for a while.she laments. Increasingly, there are repeated violations of citizens’ rights to demonstrate and express themselves freely. The media have been attacked, access to the Internet has been blocked, access to the social network TikTok is still suspended. And it is all the more worrying in the context of the elections [présidentielle, Ndlr] which will take place in February 2024 in Senegal “.
The Civicus Monitor platform calls on the government of Senegal to reverse the trend by once again authorizing peaceful demonstrations. The authorities say that the bans are taken based on the risk of disturbing public order.
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