DAKAR, Senegal (AP) 鈥 A lawyer for embattled Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko filed a criminal complaint in a French court on Thursday and also called for the International Criminal Court to investigate the Senegalese government鈥檚 recent deadly crackdown on protesters.
The 168-page document accuses President Macky Sall and others of 鈥渃rimes against humanity.鈥 It comes in the wake of deadly protests earlier this month, sparked by criminal charges against Sonko that critics believe were politically motivated.
The court filing, which was presented at a news conference on Thursday in Paris, details 50 deaths since March 2021. It names Senegal鈥檚 president, interior minister, the head of police, along with more than 100 other Senegalese and French officials, as being complicit in 鈥減olitically motivated violence against unarmed demonstrators, activists, journalists, lawyers and ordinary citizens.鈥
鈥淭his fits all the criteria of the ICC of crimes against humanity in terms of gravity, in terms of jurisdiction,鈥 said Sonko鈥檚 lawyer, Juan Branco, in an interview with The Associated Press.
Branco, who compiled and presented more than 600 pieces of evidence in the official complaint, previously represented WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and members of the Gilets Jaunes movement in France.
Senegal鈥檚 government didn't immediately release a reaction to Thursday鈥檚 court filing, but authorities have denied that police actions have amounted to excessive force.
Branco cited multiple reasons for filing the complaint in France, including the fact that several of the people harmed by the government response were dual citizens of France and Senegal. The move is also intended to circumvent what they see as a corrupt justice system in Senegal.
鈥淭hese are the jurisdictions that the people we鈥檙e targeting fear,鈥 Branco said.
Sonko鈥檚 team said that it's hopeful the ICC prosecutor will take the case seriously given the strength and scope of the evidence.
鈥淲e really expect him to open immediately a preliminary examination on the case of Senegal,鈥 Branco said. 鈥淎nd we think he has sufficient evidence at this stage to actually go to the pretrial chamber and ask to open an investigation.鈥
Sonko, long seen as the greatest political threat to Senegal鈥檚 ruling party in next year鈥檚 presidential election, now faces disqualification after being handed a two-year prison sentence earlier this month following his conviction on charges of corrupting youth.
In another case brought against him, the opposition leader was acquitted on charges of raping a woman who worked at a massage parlor and making death threats against her.
Authorities have said that Sonko can ask for a retrial once he is imprisoned. An arrest warrant hasn't yet been issued and it's unclear when he might be taken into custody.
Sonko鈥檚 supporters maintain that the legal woes are part of to derail his candidacy, and his conviction provoked demonstrations throughout the West African nation.
Sonko, who placed third in Senegal鈥檚 2019 presidential election and is popular with the country鈥檚 youth, also has called on the incumbent president to state publicly that he won't seek a third term in office. But Sall hasn't yet done so.
Sall, who is in Paris this week to meet European officials at a climate finance conference, has hinted at 鈥 but not confirmed 鈥 that he鈥檚 interested in another term, which critics say would be unconstitutional.
