Nine dead in Senegal, social media sites blocked after Ousmane Sonko jail sentence

June 2 (UPI) -- Senegal shut down some social media sites Friday, including Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Tik Tok and Whatsapp, after Thursday clashes between protesters and security forces that left at least nine dead.

Senegal Interior Minister Antoine Felix Diome said the social media platforms were blocked to stop what he called the dissemination of hate and subversive messages.

The clashes were over the conviction of the prominent political opposition figure Ousmane Sonko for "corrupting youth" through immoral behavior. He was sentenced to two years in prison in a case his followers see as politically motivated.

The government denies the case against Sonko is motivated by politics.

Following his arrest in 2021 Sonko was charged with rape and making death threats against a massage parlor worker as well, but was acquitted of those charges.

On Thursday, Sonko's political party Pastef called for people to take to the streets and at least nine people died as police clashed with protesters in several cities.

According to the BBC, hundreds of police are keeping his supporters from Sonko's home in Dakar as the nation's justice minister said he could be arrested at any time. He was not in court when the 2-year prison verdict was announced.

Violence hit the capital's city center near a university campus Thursday and many businesses were closed. Violence also occurred in the city of Ziguinchor.

Sonko is the mayor of Ziguinchor and a former tax inspector who ran for president in 2019. Sonko has accused President Macky Sall of using court cases to block his political challenge.