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Two Senegal lawmakers have been sentenced to six months each in prison for physically assaulting a female colleague in the nation’s parliament last month.
In a December 1 bust-up, videos of which went viral on social media, opposition MPs Mamadou Niang and Massata Samb slapped and then kicked pro-government legislator Amy Ndiaye during a chaotic session of the parliament.
The proceedings over the assault case started on December 19th. In spite of video evidence to the contrary, the two MPs denied having hit Ndiaye. their legal teams also argued that given their status as lawmakers, they were immune from prosecution. However, this defence was rejected by the court.
While the prosecutors had sought a two-year sentence Niang and Samb were only given six-month sentences. Apart from the jail sentences the two legislators have also been handed 100,000 CFA francs ($160) and have been ordered to jointly pay five mn francs (approx $8,100) in damages.
Prosecutor Baboucar Cisse reported that his client was pregnant at the time of the scuffle. Following the incident where she was kicked in her belly, Ndiaye fainted and had to be taken to the hospital for treatment.
There were fears that she would lose the baby said Cisse, adding that while the female lawmaker has been discharged from the hospital she “remains in an extremely difficult situation.”
As per an AFP report, the incident was triggered by a comment Ndiaye made about Serigne Moustapha Sy, an influential Muslim leader and opposition supporter.
Source: wionews.com
