A Senegalese opposition leader who has been on a hunger strike in protest of his detention has been admitted to the hospital, according to his supporters.
According to a statement from his now-disbanded party, the Patriots of Senegal (PASTEF), Ousmane Sonko was admitted to the Main Hospital in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, on Sunday.
Sonko, 49, was detained on July 28 and has been charged with plotting an uprising, undermining state security, and engaging in criminal association with a terrorist organization.
Two days after that, he began his hunger strike.
Sonko had been admitted for emergency care, according to PASTEF, who held the authorities “responsible” for his condition.
The statement read, “Prior to his imprisonment, he was in good health and had no known illnesses.”
One of Sonko’s attorneys, Cire Cledor Ly, confirmed Sonko was admitted to the hospital but would not elaborate on his condition to the AFP news agency.
There was no immediate comment from the Senegalese government.
The nation’s youth are fond of Sonko, who finished third in the West African nation’s 2019 presidential election.
Last week, deadly demonstrations in Dakar were sparked by his arrest and the dissolution of his party. According to AFP, there were at least two fatalities and numerous injuries related to the unrest.
The actions also came a few weeks after Sonko was given a two-year prison sentence and found guilty of corrupting youth in a separate case by a judge. The government, Amnesty International, and PASTEF all place the death toll from the clashes that followed this conviction at 16, 24, and 30 respectively.
Sonko’s supporters assert that the accusations against him are a part of a government scheme to thwart his bid for the presidency in 2024.
Juan Branco, Sonko’s lawyer, was reportedly detained in Mauritania, extradited to Senegal, and is currently being held in a prison in Dakar.
Branco’s attorney, Robin Bindard, stated on Sunday that his client is being held on suspicion of spreading false information, conspiring against the government, and other offenses.
“The mission of a lawyer is sacred, and you can’t reproach a lawyer for defending his client,” he said.
Source-Aljazeera
