Senegal suspended mobile internet access on Monday after the arrest of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko and a period of civil unrest. NetBlocks, an independent monitor of global internet freedom, mapped the restriction using data from Google. The data showed a sharp decrease in Senegalese internet traffic on Monday morning. Communications Minister Moussa Bocar Thiam said that mobile internet access was restricted to stop the spread of “hateful” messages. “Telephone operators are required to comply with the notified requirements,” said Thiam.

The restriction came two days after opposition leader Ousmane Sonko was charged with various offenses, including plotting an insurrection. In June, Sonko was given a two-year prison sentence for “immoral behavior toward individuals younger than 21”. The conviction resulted in massive protests and 16 deaths. Supporters say that the charges are politically motivated and designed to prevent Sonko from running for election in 2024.

This is not the first time Senegalese authorities have restricted internet access. In 2021, following Sonko’s initial arrest, authorities instructed leading cellular network operator Orange/Sonatel to disrupt access to social media apps like YouTube and WhatsApp.

Some human rights groups, such as Amnesty International, say that internet access is now a human right. Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) states, “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to… seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”