DAKAR, Jan 4 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Two opposition MPs in Senegal have been given six-month jail sentences for kicking a pregnant colleague in the stomach during a budget debate.
The male lawmakers attacked Amy Ndiaye after she criticised an opposition religious figure.
The judge also ordered Mamadou Niang and Massata Samb to pay Ndiaye five million CFA francs in compensation.
The incident was widely condemned and sparked a debate about women’s rights.
In a video widely shared online, Samb is seen walking towards Ndiaye and slapping her during a routine budget debate on Dec 1, 2022. She then retaliates by throwing a chair, but at the same time gets kicked in her belly by another male colleague. A melee then breaks out as other MPs try to calm the situation.
Ndiaye, a member of the ruling Benno Bokk Yakaar coalition, fainted in parliament after the attack and there were fears that she would lose the baby.
There has been tension in Senegal’s parliament since the government lost its majority in legislative elections in July last year. — NNN-AGENCIES
