The six (6) police officers indicted and placed under arrest warrant last April, following the death of Mouhamed Diop, appeared yesterday Tuesday before the High Court of Pikine-Guédiawaye (suburb of Dakar). These law enforcement officers can now cross their fingers and pray, because even though they escaped criminal punishment, they face 7 years in prison.
In fact, this is the sentence that was requested against them by the Prosecutor in his submissions. The police officers were on the stand for acts of intentional bodily harm leading to death without intention of causing it, acts for which the Pikine investigating judge had referred them to the trial court.
As far as she is concerned, the civil party requested 500 million FCFA for compensation for her damage. This, after having installed a judicial agent in the case.
For the civil party’s lawyers, the agents acted within the framework of their work. The lawyers do not agree, moreover, with the investigating judge, because they believe that it is rather a murder and that the police officers should appear before the Criminal Chamber, given the torture inflicted on the victim.
As a reminder, Seydina Mouhamed Diop was arrested by police officers during an operation on the night of March 23 to 24. According to one of his friends, arrested at the same time as him during the night of the alleged events, the six defendants took the victim to the Technopole then beat him up. He died of his injuries in hospital. After his burial, young people from Pikine showed their anger in the street.
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