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DAKAR – The alleged leader of a militant cell was sentenced to 20 years of forced labor Thursday in Senegal's largest terrorist trial, which also saw 14 suspects acquitted.
Makhtar Diokhane, described as the leader of a group that was considering waging war in West Africa, while Alioune Ndao, accused of being the coordinator, was sentenced to one month's suspended prison sentence.
which began on April 9, would have been the first mass prosecutions for alleged terrorist activities in Senegal. The West African state with a Muslim majority has so far escaped serious terrorist attacks.
The 29 suspects, including three women, were charged with criminal conspiracy to finance a terrorist group, money laundering, terrorism and terrorist financing. 19659002] Most were arrested in Senegal in 2015, which, according to prosecutors, was their springboard for fomenting terrorism in neighboring countries
Diokhane, 31, convicted of criminal conspiracy to commit terrorist acts while Ndao was found guilty without a license.
Three other defendants were sentenced to 15 years in prison with hard labor; six had 10-year terms; and three were sentenced to five years. Fourteen defendants, including two wives of Diokhane, were acquitted.
The charges against another accused were dropped due to irregularities in the proceedings, according to the judge of the case, Samba Kane
11 of the defendants and a 30-year sentence against Ndao , a popular imam from the city of Kaolack in central Senegal, as well as acquittals for eight other defendants.
The group was accused of wanting to found a militant base in Senegal then spread to neighboring countries, including The Gambia, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau.
The 29 defendants, some of whom allegedly fought alongside Nigerian Boko Haram, were in the courtroom at the time of the announcement of the verdict. ] When Ndao was sentenced to a one-month suspended prison sentence – after the prosecutors applied for a 30-year prison term – shouts of joy were heard in the hall.
"We have been fighting for three years to save the dignity of Ndao, who is a model for this country," Ndao's lawyer Moussa Sarr told reporters. "Despite all the difficulties, we are proud of our justice system today," he added.
"If Ndao was convicted, it would only be because there are no righteous men in Senegal," said AFP
L & # 39; Diokhane's lawyer said that he would appeal. "I do not intend to let Makhtar Diokhane remain in prison for 20 years," AFP lawyer Alassane Cisse told AFP (19659002). here escaped the al Qaeda-related insurgency that destabilized neighboring Mali. African nations, including Burkina Faso and Côte d'Ivoire. But it strengthened security outside hotels and public buildings
In the morning, long lines of onlookers formed to enter the audience hall, guarded by checkpoints and detectors of metals
Ibrahima Seye two years in prison in October 2016 for glorifying terrorism, one of the persons accused by the State of ties with al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Daesh (so-called IS). – AFP
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