Babacar Diop, Malick Diallo Biaye, Mamadou Diallo, Souleymane Diockou and Pape Abdoulaye Touré were released on bail on 20 December 2019. Souleymane Ndjim was released on bail on 4 December. Three other activists, Guy Marius Sagna, Fallou Galass Seck and Ousmane Sarr, are still detained in Camp Penal prison in Dakar, Senegal.

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Minister of Justice Mr Malick Sall

Avenue Jean JAURES, ex ambassade des Etats Unis

BP 4030

Dakar Sénégal

Email: m_sall2002@yahoo.fr

Your Excellency,

While I welcome the news that Babacar Diop, Malick Diallo Biaye, Mamadou Diallo, Souleymane Diockou and Pape Abdoulaye Touré were released on bail on 20 December, and Souleymane Ndjim was released on bail on 4 December, I am concerned to hear that three other activists, Guy Marius Sagna, Fallou Galass Seck and Ousmane Sarr, are still detained in Camp Penal prison and the nine activists still face charges solely for exercising their rights to the peaceful assembly.

Guy Marius Sagna, Mamadou Diao Diallo, Malick Biaye, Pape Abdoulaye Touré, Babacar Diop,

Souleymane Diockou, Ousmane Sarr, Souleymane Ndjim and Fallou Galass Seck have been charged with participation in an unauthorised gathering.

Guy Marius Sagna, coordinator of Front for a Popular Anti-Imperialist Revolution and Pan African (FRAAP), has been also charged with provocation of gathering and rebellion. He is detained in a high security unit of the Camp Penal prison.

In light of the above, I urge you to:

• Immediately drop the unfounded charges against all nine activists;
• Immediately and unconditionally release the three activists still detained;
• Refrain from initiating further prosecutions against individuals simply for exercising their right to peaceful assembly;
• Repeal legal instruments providing for blanket bans on peaceful demonstrations including the 2011 Decree banning all demonstrations in parts of the city centre of Dakar.

Your sincerely

Additional information

After a week of hunger strike to denounce their arbitrary arrest and detention, eight of the nine activists ended their hunger strike on 10 December, excluding Souleymane Ndjim who had been released on bail on 4 December.

Their lawyer appealed the decision of the judge refusing the request for Guy Marius Sagna, Falou Galass Seck and Ousmane Sarr to be released on bail.

Guy Marius Sagna is the only one of the three remaining activists detained who is being held in the high security unit of the prison. He began a hunger strike on 26 December, demanding to know the internal rules of the prison, as he wanted to know his rights as prisoner. He ended it on 29 December after the rules were given.

On 31 December, nine activist members of the movements “Gilets rouges”, Frapp and "Nittu Deug", including Babacar Diop, were arrested in front of the prison of ‘Camp Penal where they organised a sit-in to call for the release of Guy Marius Sagna, Fallou Galass Seck and Ousmane Sarr. They were released on 2 January.

Preferred language to address target: [French; English] You can also write in your own language.

Please take action as soon as possible until: 21 February 2020

Please check with the Amnesty office in your country if you wish to send appeals after the deadline.

Name and preffered pronoun: Guy Marius Sagna, Mamadou Diao Diallo, Malick Biaye, Pape Abdoulaye Touré, Babacar Diop, Souleymane Diockou, Ousmane Sarr, Souleymane Ndjiim and Fallou Galass (he/him/his)

Link to previous UA: https://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/afr49/1551/2019/en/