An Abidjan court on Friday sentenced Malian politician Mamadou Hawa Gassama to three years in prison for insulting Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara.
Gassama, a member of Mali’s transitional parliament under the country’s military-led government, had described Ouattara as an “enemy of Mali” during a media interview in September 2022.
Relations between Mali and Ivory Coast have remained strained since successive military coups in Bamako in 2020 and 2021 brought General Assimi Goita to power. President Ouattara has been a vocal critic of the coups, which have destabilised several countries in West Africa’s Sahel region in recent years.
Gassama was arrested in July following a stay in Ivory Coast and subsequently placed in detention.
He was prosecuted on charges of insulting a head of state and disseminating offensive content online.
In addition to the three-year prison sentence, the court ordered a three-year ban on his residence in Ivory Coast after completing his jail term and imposed a fine.
Gassama’s lawyer, Mamadou Ismaila Konate, criticised the ruling, describing it as excessive and unduly harsh.
“We believe this decision is excessive, serious and very severe,” Konate told reporters.
Known for his outspoken views, Gassama previously served as an opposition lawmaker during the presidency of Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who was overthrown in Mali’s 2020 military coup.
