The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called on Senegalese authorities to immediately release news commentator Badara Gadiaga, cease the arrest of journalists, and end retaliation against media outlets critical of the government.

CPJ’s Francophone Africa representative, Moussa Ngom, described the prosecution as part of “a dangerous conflation between the press and the political opposition.” He also called for the release of Gadiaga along with other commentators Abdou Nguer and Bachir Fofana, and he demanded that Senegalese authorities cease reprisals against journalists for expressing critical views.

CPJ urged Senegal’s government to drop charges against all journalists currently penalized for reporting, and to reaffirm protections under the Press Code, ensuring that legal provisions are not weaponized against legitimate journalists’ work.

The call followed the arrest of Gadiaga by Senegal’s Cybersecurity Division on July 9 over remarks made on Télé Futurs Médias (TFM) on July 4, when he referenced Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko’s past conviction related to sexual abuse accusations.

According to CPJ, a Dakar judge has opened a judicial investigation against Gadiaga, charging him with spreading false news, immoral speech, insulting a person exercising state authority, and receiving or soliciting donations for propaganda likely to disturb public order.

On July 11 the Dakar public prosecutor officially transferred Gadiaga’s case to the chief investigating judge, marking the formal opening of a judicial investigation. According to local news outlets, this step indicated that the matter is no longer in the hands of the police and has entered the judicial phase, where the investigating judge has the authority to collect evidence, question the accused, and determine whether the case proceeds to trial or is dismissed.

This case reflects a broader decline in press freedom in Senegal, a country once recognized for its media pluralism in West Africa. CPJ has documented a rise in journalist arrests and prosecutions under laws criminalizing defamation and false information. The organization warns that these developments threaten constitutional guarantees of free expression and the public’s right to information.