Two Senegalese journalists, Maimouna Ndour Faye and Babacar Fall, have been released after being detained by authorities for conducting separate interviews with press magnate and government critic Madiambal Diagne.
Faye, director of 7TV, was arrested on Tuesday evening by gendarmes during the broadcast of her interview with Diagne, while Fall, director of RFM radio, was arrested on Wednesday after a live interview.
The arrests sparked widespread outrage among press groups and the political class, with many condemning the detentions as a serious attack on freedom of speech.
The Union of Information and Communication Professionals of Senegal expressed “deep concern” over the arrests, saying they “challenge democratic conscience.”
The journalists were released on Thursday, with Faye’s lawyer stating that she was freed after being charged with “undermining state security and undermining the authority of the judiciary.” Fall was released late Wednesday without charge.
The arrests have raised concerns about increasing curbs on freedom of speech in Senegal, with critics and rights groups pointing to a growing trend of prosecutions for opinion-related offenses. The incident has sparked a heated debate about the state of press freedom in the West African country.
