Prominent Rights Watchdog Calls On Senegal To Ensure Fair Trials Of Opposition Leaders

Prominent Rights Watchdog Calls on Senegal to Ensure Fair Trials of Opposition Leaders

A prominent watchdog called on Wednesday on the Senegalese authorities to put an end to the intimidation of opposition leaders and ensure fair justice for them amid increased repression against dissidents in the country ahead of the 2019 presidential election.

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th August, 2018) A prominent watchdog called on Wednesday on the Senegalese authorities to put an end to the intimidation of opposition leaders and ensure fair justice for them amid increased repression against dissidents in the country ahead of the 2019 presidential election.

"Senegal must make guaranteeing fair trials a priority and immediately stop intimidation and harassment of opposition leaders and crackdown on dissent, which has increased in the run up of the 2019 presidential elections," the Amnesty International said in a press release.

According to the rights watchdog, judicial impartiality cannot be exercised in a country, where the president and justice minister are members of the Supreme Judicial Council.

"Amnesty International is calling on Senegals authorities to amend laws relating to the Supreme Judicial Council and the statute of magistrates, in order to remove the President of the Republic and Minister of Justice from the Council," the press release read further.

Among unfair trials, the human rights watchdog mentioned the case of Khalifa Sall, a member of the Socialist Party of Senegal and the mayor of the country's capital of Dakar, who was arrested in March 2017 on charges of misappropriation of public funds, criminal conspiracy and fraud. The Community Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) ruled ijournalists, who express dissent.n June that that the principle of presumption of innocence was not respected in the case of Sall, who was subject to arbitrary detention and repeatedly refused bail.

The watchdog also criticized the Senegalese authorities for oppression of human rights defenders, political activists and journalists, who express dissent.