Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders Annual Report 2004 - Senegal

Smear campaign against the ONDH98

On 5 January 2004, the National Organisation for Human Rights (Organisation nationale des droits de l'Homme – ONDH) published a press release disclosing the existence of death threats against Msgr. Théodore Adrien Sarr, Archbishop of Dakar, and all Senegalese bishops. These threats, emanating from a group called the "Circle of Steel" (Cercle d'acier), had been received by the clergy on 9 December 2003, following the declaration issued by the bishops at the Tambacounda episcopal conference, at the end of November 2003, at which they voiced their anxiety as regards the political and social situation in the country.

On 6 January 2004, the "Sentinels for Political Change Movement" (Mouvement des sentinelles de l'Alternance), which was hitherto unknown, circulated a press release asking that the members of the ONDH be "heard by the police and pursued". In their opinion, the disclosure by the ONDH of the existence of the letter aimed at Msgr. Sarr represented a "dangerous operation of destabilisation and indoctrination about the President of the Republic", "which could throw Senegal into an unprecedented period of turbulence". The same press release also urged the religious leaders and the Senegalese people to remain vigilant lest they be fooled by "these organisations which have become by devious means (...) political parties in disguise and which stir up the flames on a regular basis in the name of the Devil".


[Refworld note: This report as posted on the FIDH website (www.fidh.org) was in pdf format with country chapters run together by region. Footnote numbers have been retained here, so do not necessarily begin at 1.]

98. See Urgent Appeal SEN 001/0104/OBS 004.

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