OSBC Osun State Broadcasting Corporation
Two Senegalese opposition MPs were handed six-month jail terms on Monday for physically attacking a female colleague in parliament.
In a case that sparked anguished debate about democracy in Senegal, pro-government legislator Amy Ndiaye was slapped and then kicked in the belly during a chaotic session in the National Assembly.
MPs Mamadou Niang and Massata Samb were each given six-month prison terms after a trial that began on December 19.
They were also each fined 100,000 CFA francs CFA ($150) and ordered to pay five million francs in damages.
Prosecutors had sought two-year terms.
The bust up happened on December 1, during a routine vote on the justice ministry’s budget.
It was sparked by remarks Ndiaye had made about Serigne Moustapha Sy, an influential Muslim leader who supports the opposition but is not a lawmaker.
After order was restored, Ndiaye fainted and was given hospital treatment — her lawyer Baboucar Cisse said she was pregnant and there were fears she could lose her baby.
