The State of the World's Human Rights; Senegal 2025

New laws promoting access to information and combating corruption were introduced, while people continued to be detained for expressing their beliefs. The judiciary began investigating deaths and violent incidents relating to protests that occurred between 2021 and 2024. Departing migrants continued to die at sea along the Atlantic coastline. There was no legislative progress on the rights of women and children, and talibé children (students in Quranic schools) continued to be victims of violence and abuse.

Background

In July, the government unveiled an economic recovery plan after an audit of the state accounts revealed unaccounted debt. The government also enacted several laws and decrees to fight corruption and promote fairer redistribution of mining revenue.

In August, the National Assembly established a new National Anti-Corruption Office and passed a new law requiring asset declarations by ministers and heads of institutions. A new law on the status and protection of whistle-blowers was also adopted.

In July, the last remaining French troops stationed in Senegal departed after 137 years of continuous presence, in accordance with a prior agreement that returned all French military installations in the country to the national authorities.

Tensions between the government and the press persisted after the state audit and an economic downturn.

Right to information

The government adopted a new law aimed at fostering constructive public debate by providing people with access to authentic and reliable government information.

In April, the Ministry of Telecommunications, Information and Digital Technology announced it was suspending broadcasting for several media outlets, declaring they were in violation of the Press Code. In June, the Supreme Court ruled the ministerial decree was illegal and ordered its suspension.

In November, Senegalese authorities suspended two TV channels (7TV and TFM) from broadcasting for a week, after they interviewed a fugitive who broke bail.

Freedom of expression

Several journalists and commentators were arrested and detained for offences relating to expression of their opinions. In April, TV commentator Abdou Nguer was arrested and charged with spreading false news, insulting the head of state, and promoting a crime. This followed the release of a TikTok video in which he suggested the government was responsible for the death of a former president of the Constitutional Court. Abdou Nguer denied being responsible for the TikTok video. He was tried in November and was acquitted of the offences of spreading false news and promoting crime but found guilty of insulting the head of state. He was sentenced to six months in prison, including three months without parole, and ordered to pay a fine of XOF 200,000 (EUR 305). He was released after the trial.

In June, former MP and opposition leader Moustapha Diakhaté was arrested after a televised appearance and accused of insulting the head of state. In July, he was convicted and sentenced to two months in prison, including 15 days without parole. He was released at the end of his sentence.

In July, prominent columnist Badara Gadiaga was arrested for dissemination of false news and “discourses contrary to public decency” after a public TV spat with an MP, during which he accused the prime minister of being a rapist. InDecember, he was granted conditional release after an appeal.

In October, Mandoumbé Diop and Serigne Mbaye Diagne, two supporters of the ruling party, were convicted and sentenced to one month in prison for indecent speech after they published social media videos in which they insulted opponents of the prime minister.

Right to a healthy environment

On 9 February, four environmental activists – Lamine Diédhiou, Aliou Sané, Mohamed Tendeng and Madeleine Senghor – were arrested while protesting against the establishment of an open-air household waste dump in the village of Tobor. They were prosecuted for participating in an unauthorized demonstration, convicted, sentenced and subsequently paroled.

Detainees’ rights

In March, a new law was adopted establishing the National Observatory of Detention Centres. The government also announced a plan to reduce the number of people in pretrial detention. According to the Ministry of Justice, there were 15,267 people in detention as of August, yet the total detention capacity was only 4,924.

In July, 18-year-old Talla Keita died in hospital in Richard Toll, following his transfer from the police station in Rosso, where he was allegedly abused. Two police officers were arrested following the incident.

Right to truth, justice and reparation

In February, ahead of a planned investigation into the excessive use of force and arbitrary detentions during the 2021-2024 political protests, the Ministry of Families, Social Action and Solidarities provided financial and medical assistance to some of the victims.

In April, the Constitutional Court ruled that the 2024 amnesty law would not impede the prosecution of killings and torture committed between February 2021 and February 2024. This opened the door to legal actions in connection with the 65 deaths and the 1,000-plus people injured during the protests. Several persons of interest were interviewed by the judiciary in October.

Refugees’ and migrants’ rights

According to the Spanish NGO Caminando Fronteras, 110 migrants died at sea between January and May while attempting to depart from the Senegalese and Gambian coastlines.

Children’s rights

There was a lack of legislative progress in child protection, particularly concerning talibé children in Quranic schools, who remained vulnerable to abuse.

In May, four talibé children died of food poisoning in Thienaba, a town in the western Thiès region, after consuming a wild plant without supervision, while another child became severely sick. A judicial investigation into their deaths was announced, and their Quranic teacher received a three-month suspended sentence from a court for “endangering the lives of others”.

In September, an eight-year-old talibé student died after being denied food and severely beaten by his Quranic teacher in Ribot-Escale, a town in central Senegal.

Women’s and girls’ rights

The Family Code remained discriminatory towards women and girls, conferring exclusive “marital and paternal authority” rights to men and designating the husband as the head of the family. This deprived women and girls of their rights and authority over their households and children. Article 111 of the Family Code maintained the minimum legal marriage age at 16 for girls and 18 for boys, reinforcing gender inequality. The law also prohibited women from obtaining abortion services, even in instances of rape and incest, despite ratification of the Maputo Protocol. Consequently, women and girls faced the risk of unsafe and clandestine abortions.