Senegal’s opposition leader charged with conspiracy against the state and calls for insurrection

By ZANE IRWIN and BABACAR DIONE
Associated Press

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — Senegal’s public prosecutor said the opposition leader has been charged with conspiracy against the state and calls for insurrections, among other offenses. This comes weeks after Ousmane Sonko was convicted on separate charges of corrupting youth and sentenced to two years in prison, which ignited deadly protests across the nation. On Saturday Abdou Karim Diop made the announcement on state television and said that Sonko was taken into custody in the capital, Dakar. In June, Sonko was acquitted on charges of raping a woman who worked at a massage parlor and making death threats against her, but was convicted of corrupting youth, which includes using one’s position of power to have sex with people under age 21.