See if this story sounds familiar. A charismatic populist runs for president. He promises to end corruption, close tax loopholes for the rich, and prioritize his own people over foreign interests. Contrary to all expectations, this insurgent candidate performs well in the election. That terrifies the establishment, so they pursue a series of criminal charges against him. First, they accuse him of rape. Then, when he’s acquitted, they charge him again — this time, with the crime of “fomenting an insurrection.” They say he led an illegal “freedom caravan” to a protest in the capital. Mass demonstrations break out because people recognize what’s happening: The government prosecutors who are claiming to fight “election interference” are in fact the ones engaging in it. It’s what banana republics do. They jail their opponents when they can’t beat them.
The situation I just described is unfolding right now in the West African nation of Senegal. The government in that country is eager to throw an opposition leader, someone named Ousmane Sonko, in prison. He organized a mass protest in Senegal’s capital of Dakar, but it was quickly shut down, and now the government is seeking to disqualify him from office by bombarding him with criminal charges. If you read press reports, you’ll find that most of the Western media claims to be disturbed by all this. “Senegal authorities arrest opposition frontrunner,” reported the Guardian. Human Rights Watch called the developments an “assault on democracy ahead of elections.” NPR complained, “In Senegal, the government is cracking down on human rights.” They’re doing that, NPR explained, by criminalizing political dissent, which NPR insists is a very bad thing to do.
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