Freedom of the Press - Senegal (2003)

Status: Partly Free
Legal Environment: 15
Political Influences: 14
Economic Pressures: 9
Total Score: 38

Population: n/a
GNI/capita: n/a
Life Expectancy: 53
Religious Groups: Muslim (94 percent), Roman Catholic, Indigenous beliefs (6 percent)
Ethnic Groups: Wolof (43.3 percent), Pular (23.8 percent), Serer (14.7 percent), Jola (3.7 percent), Mandinka (3 percent), Soninke (1.1 percent), European and Lebanese (1 percent), other (9.4 percent)
Capital: Dakar

Although the government generally respects the constitutional provisions for freedom of expression and the press, it does occasionally impose some limits on these rights. A restrictive press law that prohibits "discrediting the state" and disseminating "false news" has been used to prosecute a number of journalists. In April, Mamadou Oumar Ndiaye, the publications director of the weekly Le Temoin, was sentenced to four months in jail for defamation. While the threat of legal penalties has resulted in some self-censorship, the private print and broadcast media are often highly critical of the government and political parties. Reporters continued to be subjected to some harassment at the hands of police. For example, it was not unusual for journalists to be detained for questioning and pressured to reveal confidential sources. Several reporters working in the Casamance region received death threats from separatist rebels in September.