Djibril Agil Sylla, a Guinean blogger and activist, was convicted by the Dakar high court for illegal stay in Senegal. The decision, rendered this Tuesday, requires Mr. Sylla to pay a fine of 50,000 CFA francs. Although released, his future remains uncertain since the Minister of the Interior has the authority to expel him at any time.
Senegalese justice had initially summoned Djibril Agil Sylla to respond to accusations of defamation and public insult, made by the KPC businessman. However, during last Thursday’s hearing, the prosecutor revealed that Mr. Sylla, who arrived in Senegal on February 9, 2021, did not have a valid residence permit.
Djibril Agil Sylla said he had applied for political asylum, although he was unable to present supporting documents. Following these revelations, he was placed in pre-trial detention, facing the risk of being returned to Guinea, his native country. Faced with this situation, his lawyer, Maître Amadou Aly Kane, immediately reacted by requesting the attention of the Senegalese authorities to the dangers that Mr. Sylla could face in Guinea. He particularly highlighted the prohibition, according to international law, of returning a person to a country where they risk persecution.
Despite his release, the outcome of the case remains pending, with a possible expulsion which could take place without notice, depending on future decisions by the Minister of the Interior.
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