Paradigm Initiative welcomes Senegal ruling limiting media regulator powers

Paradigm Initiative (PIN) has welcomed a 7 April decision by Senegal’s Constitutional Council that struck down several provisions of the country’s new media regulation law. The digital rights organisation said the ruling strengthens protections for freedom of expression and online media and followed a constitutional challenge it supported alongside the Association of Online Press Publishers and Professionals (APPEL).

The challenge was brought by 23 members of parliament, including Aïssata Tall Sall, against Law No. 07/2026 establishing the National Media Regulatory Council (CNRM). PIN and APPEL provided technical and financial support for the legal challenge, which focused on provisions the organisations considered capable of enabling administrative censorship and political interference.

According to PIN, the original law gave the CNRM broad powers to close media premises and permanently shut down newspapers or online news sites in cases of an undefined repeat offence. It also allowed the regulator to use law enforcement and impose interim measures without what PIN considered sufficient judicial and procedural safeguards.

The Constitutional Council subsequently struck down the provision allowing the closure of media premises, as well as provisions concerning the closure of newspapers and online news sites. Other powers were upheld subject to conditions. In particular, the use of law enforcement must be authorised by a judicial authority, while interim measures must be linked to the protection of honour or reputation or the safeguarding of public order.

PIN also drew attention to the CNRM’s institutional status. The law describes it as an independent administrative authority while also attaching it to the Presidency of the Republic. The organisation said this arrangement requires continued scrutiny and called for transparent practices, multi-stakeholder dialogue and respect for the conditions set by the Constitutional Council.

For PIN, the ruling demonstrates the role that coordinated action between parliamentarians, professional media organisations and civil society can play in challenging legislation affecting digital rights. The organisation described the decision as a significant development for freedom of expression and online media in Senegal and said it could provide a reference point for other countries in the region.

Moussa Waly Sene, PIN’s Lead of Programs for Francophone Africa, said the decision showed that legislation should protect fundamental freedoms and that the ruling should be treated as a starting point for media regulation based on the rule of law, human rights and pluralism.

PIN is now calling on journalists and media organisations to familiarise themselves with the new legal safeguards and document potential violations. It also urged the Senegalese government to respect the Council’s conditions, involve stakeholders in future media reforms and clarify remaining uncertainties around the regulator’s powers and sanctions.