Senegal has accused Canadian police of having "
savagely beaten up
" one of its diplomats stationed in Ottawa, the police reporting an altercation with an "
aggressive person
" which injured two of its agents.
The Senegalese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Friday that it had summoned the charge d'affaires of the Canadian embassy in Dakar on Thursday to "
vigorously denounce and firmly condemn a racist and barbaric act
".
Canadian police
raided the home
of the Senegalese diplomat on duty in Ottawa on Tuesday, during which she "
exerted
" on her "
humiliating physical and moral violence, in front of witnesses and in the presence of her children
", said Dakar, without specifying the identity of the diplomat.
Questioned on Friday evening, the police of Gatineau, a Quebec suburb of the Canadian federal capital, acknowledged the altercation, which took place on Tuesday when a bailiff "
with an order to be executed
" had requested the assistance of the police.
'order.
"
Despite the reminder of the victim's status as a diplomat and of the inviolability of her home, the elements of the Canadian police handcuffed her and savagely beat her, to the point that she had difficulty breathing, which led to his evacuation by ambulance to the hospital
", according to the Senegalese press release.
This version of the events was rejected outright by the Canadian police, who claim to have confirmed beforehand that "
the court document was indeed valid and that the legal officer who authorized the court order had been informed that the person had a diplomatic status
.
Then, adds the Canadian press release, "
facing an aggressive person and refusing to cooperate, the police intervened to explain the process and to ensure that everything took place calmly
".
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It was then that "
a policewoman was hit in the face and injured
," said the Service de police de la ville de Gatineau (SPVG).
"
The police have therefore decided to arrest
" the diplomat.
But she “
resisted arrest and bitten a second policeman
”.
The Canadian police demanded legal proceedings against the diplomat and assured that they would collaborate “
in any approach or investigation in complete transparency
”.
