Mali: Ex-prime minister faces two year sentence for X posts

The Bamako court in Mali’s capital issued a two year sentence to former Prime Minister, Moussa Mara following comments he made on social media expressing solidarity with political prisoners, as reported by africanews via agencies on 27th October.

Mara, who previously served nine months in office for Mali, was a notable critic of Mali’s military government. In his social media posts shared on X, Mara expressed solidarity with political opponents of the state who had been detained, who he described as prisoners of conscience. In one post, he said: “The flame of hope never fades in them. As long as the night lasts, the sun will inevitably rise. And we will fight by all means to make that happen, and as soon as possible.”

Following these statements on social media, Mara was incarcerated on the grounds of undermining the state, opposing state authority and inciting public order. His trial began last month. Subsequently, Mara was handed a one-year prison term alongside an additional one-year suspended sentence. He also received a fine of 500,000 CFA francs (or £665).

Mara’s sentencing occurs under Mali’s junta, a political group led by General Assimi Goita following two military coups in 2020 and 2021. Mali’s junta has come under recent criticism for their increasingly anti-democratic practices. Alongside the recent abduction of pro-democracy activists such as El Bachir Thiam, there is also an existing unlimited presidential mandate that allows Goita to renew his term as president without election.

Despite vowing to restore political democracy, Goita’s subsequent dissolution of rival political parties and crackdown on freedom of expression signal a concerning direction for democracy in Mali. The sentences Mara faces from Mali’s state as an active critic of the government junta reflect the current sign of the times across the nation, as political expression on platforms such as X bode serious consequences for individuals who are political opponents of the state.

africanews via agencies, France 24, Maghrebi.org.