Senegal: Intimidation and arrests of protestors one week before presidential elections

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL PUBLIC STATEMENT AI Index: AFR 49/002/2012 17 February 2012 Senegal: Intimidation and arrests of protestors one week before presidential elections One week before the first round of presidential elections in Senegal, the authorities have increased their intimidation of President’s Wade political opponents. [...] Yesterday, they arrested twenty or so members of the “Y en a marre” movement who had wished to organise a sit-in at the Place de l’Obélisque in Dakar. [...] Amnesty International asks for the immediate and unconditional release of these protestors, arrested simply for exercising their right to demonstrate, a right protected by international law and by the Senegalese Constitution. [...] Article 10 of this Constitution stipulates: “All individuals shall be entitled to express and to freely disseminate their opinions, whether through the spoken word, in writing, and in pictures, provided that the exercise of these rights does not threaten the honour or reputation of others, nor public order.” To Amnesty International’s knowledge, these protestors have not been charged. [...] The “Y en a marre” movement had planned to hold yesterday, Thursday, a continuous “vigil” protesting against President Wade’s candidacy for a third presidential term in spite of the ban on demonstrations imposed by the prefect of Dakar.