Senegal opposition leader faces polls setback after defamation conviction upheld

Senegalese opposition leader Ousmane Sonko’s defamation conviction has been upheld (AP)

Senegal’s top opposition leader has suffered a major setback in his bid for the presidency when a court upheld a defamation conviction in a case brought against him by a government minister.

The supreme court’s ruling against Ousmane Sonko’s appeal is the latest twist in a prolonged legal battle that the opposition leader has alleged is intended to stop his participation in the February elections.