Senegalese journalist and writer René Capain Bassène is released after more than eight years in detention, multiple reports say. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) states Bassène has been held since 2018 and that he had been sentenced to life in prison on charges including complicity in murder and attempted murder. CPJ says its reporting indicates he could not have committed the offenses.
Premium Times reports that Bassène is released from a prison in Dakar on Wednesday, following a presidential pardon issued on May 26. CPJ’s statement also attributes the release to Senegal’s president.
While the outlets describe the same detention period and the mechanism of release—a presidential pardon—CPJ focuses on the basis of the conviction and highlights its view that the charges were not supported. The reports do not provide further details in the excerpts on the timeline of appeals or the exact legal steps taken before the pardon. Both accounts confirm Bassène’s release and the length of his confinement.
