The Senegal government announced a blanket ban on the use of social media Friday, following clashes between police and supporters of opposition leader Ousmane Sonko that left nine people dead.

In a televised press conference, Interior Minister Antoine Felix Abdoulaye Diome claimed that some social media sites were utilized by demonstrators to incite violence, including Facebook, WhatsApp and Twitter. As a result, the government suspended these sites, arguing that they did so “to guarantee the safety of people and property. We are going to reinforce security everywhere in the country.”

Human rights organizations like Amnesty International condemned the action and linked it to increasing police violence in the region. In a statement, they said that “these restrictions on the right to freedom of expression and information constitute arbitrary measures contrary to international law, and cannot be justified by security reasons.”

Dakar, the capital, and Ziguinchor, where Sonko acts as mayor, were the locations of the majority of the deaths. Sonko was convicted Thursday of corrupting youth and sentenced to two years’ imprisonment, but acquitted on rape and death threat charges. Following the verdict, the region has seen significant unrest.