An appeal court in Mali on Monday upheld a prison sentence against former Prime Minister Moussa Mara, who was convicted last year after expressing support for political prisoners on social media.
Mara, who served as prime minister for eight months between 2014 and 2015, was charged in October with “undermining the credibility of the state and opposing legitimate authority.”
In July, he posted online that he had visited political prisoners and promised to seek justice for them. He has been in custody since August 1.
A judge at the Bamako Court of Appeal affirmed his original sentence of two years in prison, with one year suspended, along with a fine of 500,000 CFA francs (about $908).
Reacting to the ruling, his lawyer, Mountaga Tall, said the legal team would challenge the decision at the Supreme Court.
“We will not give up. We will consult with each other and appeal to the Supreme Court,” he said.
Rights group Amnesty International criticised the judgment, describing the charges as politically motivated.
The organisation called on the authorities to overturn what it termed a baseless conviction and to release Mara and others detained for peacefully exercising their rights.
Amnesty’s regional director for West and Central Africa, Marceau Sivieude, said the case reflected a broader pattern of repression by the Malian authorities, including the use of the justice system to silence critics.
Mali has been under military rule since coups in 2020 and 2021, with the junta accused of tightening restrictions on opposition voices, the media, and political parties.
