(Crime): 2 Senegalese MPs Jailed for Assaulting Pregnant Colleague in Parliament

Two Senegalese lawmakers who physically attacked a pregnant female colleague in parliament, have each been sentenced to six-month imprisonment.

On December 1, MP Massata Samb attacked his colleague Amy Ndiaye from the gallery over statements she had made against Moustapha Sy. Moustapha is the leader of the main opposition coalition, the Party of Unity and Gathering, and is not a member of parliament but is very influential in Senegal.

In a very disturbing videos shared online, Massata Samb and his colleague Mamadou Niang were seen slapping and kicking the pregnant Mrs. Ndiaye in her stomach during assembly.

After order was restored, Ndiaye fainted and was taken to hospital for treatment. Her lawyer Baboucar Cisse said there were fears she could lose her baby. She added her client has since left hospital but "remains in an extremely difficult situation”.

Mamadou Niang and Massata Samb were sentenced on Monday, January 2.  Mr Niang and Mr Samb, who were arrested on 15 December, were not present in court during the sentencing. Their lawyers argued the pair were immune from prosecution, given their status as politicians, but this was rejected by the court.

They denied hitting Ms Ndiaye, despite video evidence pointing to the contrary.

In addition to the jail terms, both were fined 100,000 CFA francs ($240) and ordered to pay five million francs ($12,000) in damages. Prosecutors had sought two-year jail terms but they were given 6 months, which analysts described as too soft.

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