Detained Senegalese singer goes free

In an eight-minute recording that went viral, the singer goes on a tirade claiming that Sall, who was elected president in 2012, has been ineffective since he began his term as the leader of the country. She refers to him as a “scoundrel … who operates in the shadows”.

Her comments in the recording, in which she makes clear her preference for former president Abdoulaye Wade, were not meant to reach the public, she said. The recording, however, was eventually shared on messaging service WhatsApp and uploaded on YouTube.  

Sall’s predecessor, Wade, 91, contested a legislative election in July along with the imprisoned mayor of Dakar, Khalifa Sall (no relation), who was arrested in March following charges of embezzlement.

Dieng claimed there were irregularities that had spoiled the July vote. This after a scandal marred the election when biometric ID cards were not distributed to the public on time. Sall then requested that the constitutional council allow people to cast their votes using other means of identification such as passports, which led to widespread criticism.

Among the groups that lobbied in support of Dieng’s release was the Association of Music Professionals in Senegal (AMS), which said that although the organisation did not agree with the sentiments in the recording, the artist had been a victim undemocratic practices.

Dieng’s lawyer, Boubacar Barro, confirmed that a provisional release had been granted. “The investigation continues but I do not think there are sufficient charges,” he said.

Here is a video of Dieng’s release yesterday: