A three-month prison sentence for a TikTok video now Senegal is facing tough questions over free speech and online expression.

A Senegalese court has sentenced three TikTok influencers to prison for posts that allegedly insulted President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, in a ruling that has sparked criticism, as reported by cbinews.tv.

The judgment is fuelling concerns about freedom of expression and the limits of online speech in Senegal.

The three influencers work with Feenal Digital, an online content platform. Some observers say the platform’s content is favourable towards former Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko, the leader of the PASTEF party.

Cbinews.tv reports that the case comes at a sensitive time, with tensions rising within Senegal’s ruling political camp following a public split between President Faye and Sonko, who were once close allies. Faye recently launched his own political party, further deepening divisions between the two figures.

The most severe sentence was handed to Mandoumbe Diop, known online as Lamignou Darou. He is the most followed of the trio, with more than 500,000 followers on TikTok and videos that regularly attract tens of thousands of views. He was sentenced to three months in prison without suspension.

Two other Feenal Digital creators, Magueye Diaw, known as Oustaz Thiep, and Moustapha Ndiaye, known as Ndiaye Touba, were each sentenced to two months in prison without suspension.

They were also fined 500,000 CFA francs each, an amount equivalent to around 800 dollars, according to their lawyer.

The three influencers were represented by lawyer Abdy Nar Ndiaye, who argued that their TikTok videos were comedic and did not justify criminal prosecution.

Feenal Digital describes itself as an online platform that promotes government and private sector activities on Facebook.

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