The Senegalese League of Human Rights (LSDH), Amnesty International/Senegal, ARTICLE 19/West Africa, the African Meeting for the Defence of Human Rights (RADDHO) and the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR) / Senegal are concerned about the government’s repeated banning of opposition demonstrations.
We condemn the arrest of opposition leaders at the demonstration on 30 January 2015 and the excessive use of force by the police at peaceful demonstrations.
The right of citizens to express themselves by demonstrating peacefully and demanding respect for other civil liberties is one of the pillars of democracy and guaranteed by the Constitution of Senegal and international and regional treaties to which Senegal is party.
Our organisations maintain that the government’s mandate to preserve public order and security must be reconciled with the inalienable right of citizens and organised groups to exercise the basic freedoms guaranteed by the Constitution.
Our organisations therefore demand a halt to the unjustified banning of demonstrations and the immediate and unconditional release of all those arrested simply because they were exercising their right to freedoms enshrined in and guaranteed by the Constitution and call on the Senegalese authorities to comply with their duty to promote and protect civil liberties in Senegal.
Signed by
Assane Dioma NDIAYE (LSDH)
Aboubacry MBODJ (RADDHO)
Seydi GASSAMA (AI/SN)
Fatou JAGNE SENGHOR (ARTICLE19 / West Africa
Ousseynou FAYE (ISHR/Senegal)