Le journaliste sénégalais, arrested in January 2011, sentenced to life imprisonment in June 2012, and had his sentence confirmed by a judgment of the Court of Cassation on Friday 24 May 2025 in Dakar. It has therefore been more than 7 years that he has been in prison, separated from his wife and four children, for acts of which he claims to be innocent. He was transferred to a special ward of Le Dantec Hospital in Dakar, where he is receiving treatment after a prolonged hunger strike. Previously, he had still had a right of appeal. This time, no more hope is permitted, except a presidential pardon which, if it puts an end to his calvary, will not erase his culpability in the eyes of justice. This decision is incomprehensible on the part of a Cour de cassation whose task is to judge the proper application of the law.
The case of René Capain Bassène: an incomprehensible injustice in a state of law
