A court in Bamako on Monday sentenced former Mali prime minister Moussa Mara to one year in prison for a social media post voicing support for political prisoners, AFP reporte.
Mara, who served as prime minister from 2014 to 2015, was convicted of “undermining the credibility of the state and opposing legitimate authority.” The ruling also includes a one-year suspended sentence and a fine of 500,000 CFA francs (about $887).
The former premier, jailed since August 1 over his July post promising justice for political detainees, appeared calm as the National Cybercrime Centre court delivered the verdict. Prosecutors had sought a two-year term.
“This is not the end,” his lawyer Mountaga Tall told AFP, saying they would discuss possible legal action.
A friend of Mara, speaking anonymously for security reasons, said the outcome was expected: “We knew this was coming. Tell me what his crime really is?”
Mali’s ruling military junta, which seized power in successive coups in 2020 and 2021, has intensified its crackdown on dissent, targeting the media and dissolving political parties.
