Senegalese authorities have detained Juan Branco, a French lawyer and adviser to opposition figure Ousmane Sonko, on charges of call for uprising and dissemination of false information. Branco has been subject to an arrest warrant issued by Senegal but he challenged the warrant, showing up at a press conference in capital Dakar on July 30, after Sonko was detained and jailed for calling for uprising. “He will be prosecuted for calling for insurrection, spreading false news, acts and manoeuvres likely to compromise public safety or cause serious disturbance,” a police source told State-run news agency APS. “This is not an investigation, but the execution of an international arrest warrant,” the source added. Senegal on July 14 issued an international arrest warrant against him for “crimes and misdemeanors” in connection with the unrest in early June 2023.

Source: The North Africa Journal August 07, 2023 13:10 UTC