Gambiaj.com – (DAKAR, Senegal) – The Indictment Chamber of the Dakar Court of Appeal has upheld the provisional release of TFM political commentator Badara Gadiaga, marking a significant development in a case that has drawn considerable public attention amid heightened scrutiny of press freedom and political commentary in Senegal.
Gadiaga’s lawyers appeared before the chamber on December 4th after the public prosecutor filed an appeal seeking to overturn an earlier order by the senior investigating judge granting the commentator provisional release under electronic monitoring.
The prosecution had challenged that decision immediately after it was issued, arguing for Gadiaga’s continued detention pending trial.
According to judicial sources, both sides presented their arguments before the Indictment Chamber, which ultimately ruled in favor of Gadiaga. The chamber confirmed the original order for release with an electronic bracelet, a measure increasingly used by Senegalese courts in recent high-profile political and media-related cases.
With this decision, Gadiaga will be released from custody unless the public prosecutor decides to escalate the matter to the Supreme Court within the legally prescribed timeframe.
If the prosecution does not pursue a further appeal, the commentator could regain limited freedom in the coming days.
Gadiaga’s legal troubles began following his substantive hearing on November 10th, when the senior judge of the Dakar court granted him provisional release under electronic surveillance. The public prosecutor immediately opposed the order before formally challenging it at the Court of Appeal.
The case unfolds at a moment when several journalists, commentators, and political actors have been entangled in legal proceedings, feeding public debate about judicial independence and the state’s response to dissent.
As with recent appeals involving media figures and political commentators, the outcome now rests on whether the prosecutor’s office will take the matter to Senegal’s highest court.
For now, the appellate court’s decision represents an important milestone, and a potential turning point, in Badara Gadiaga’s ongoing legal saga.
