By Asaye Bankole
A court in Mali has incarcerated former Prime Minister Moussa Mara for one year over a social media post in which he articulated solidarity with political prisoners in the military-ruled country.
Mara, who led the affairs of the country’s government for eight months from 2014 to 2015, was jailed by the National Cybercrime Centre court in the capital, Bamako, on Monday for “undermining the credibility of the state and opposing legitimate authority”.
In furtherance to the one-year prison term without parole, Mara was given a 12-month suspended sentence and a fine of 500,000 CFA francs ($887).
The 50-year-old has been incarcerated since August 1, weeks after naming in a social media post several political prisoners he had visited and declaring “unwavering solidarity with prisoners of conscience”.
“As long as the night lasts, the sun will obviously appear! We will fight by all means for this to happen as soon as possible!” his July 4 message on X revealed.
After Monday’s verdict, Mara’s legal team stated it had filed an appeal against what they described a “particularly harsh decision”.
“The judicial battle does not end today: it continues, with the same determination, on the grounds of law and truth,” the lawyers said in a statement.
Amnesty International tagged Mara’s sentencing a “travesty of justice” and beseeched Mali’s military government to stop “escalating repression of peaceful dissent and authoritarian practices, and immediately free those currently being detained solely for voicing their opinion”.
Mali is led by a military government, headed by General Assimi Goita, which came to power in repeated coups in 2020 and 2021.
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