By Enyichukwu Enemanna
A court in Bamako, Mali’s capital on Monday sentenced the country’s former Prime Minister, Moussa Mara to one year in prison in connection with a social media post supporting political prisoners.
This is in addition to one-year suspended sentence.for “undermining the credibility of the state and opposing legitimate authority” authorities say.
Mara, who was Prime Minister for eight months from 2014 until 2015, has been in prison since August 1 on charges following his July social media post in which he said he had met with political prisoners and promised justice.
Mara paid attention as the National Cybercrime Centre court in Bamako handed down his sentence, AFP says in a report.
The court’s decision aligns with a request for 24-month jail requested by prosecutors.
The former head of the Malian government must also pay a 500,000 CFA franc ($887) fine.
In response, Maria’s lawyer, Mountaga Tall told AFP, “It’s not over”, adding: “We will consult with our client and decide on the next steps”.
A close friend of the former Prime Minister who spoke on condition of anonymity for security reasons said he was not surprised by the decision: “We expected it… Tell me what his crime is?”
Mali is ruled by a military junta which came to power in back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021.
Since then, the government has launched a repressive clampdown on critics, including taking measures against the press and dissolving political parties.
