Chad's Supreme Court upheld opposition leader Succès Masra's 20-year sentence in May 2026; he was pardoned and freed on 15 August, but the conviction stands and 65 co-defendants remain in prison, Human Rights Watch says.

A criminal court in N'Djamena found Masra guilty on 9 August 2025 of spreading racist and xenophobic messages and complicity in murder tied to an intercommunal conflict at Mandakao, and sentenced him to 20 years. Human Rights Watch says the Supreme Court upheld the conviction in May 2026, and that Masra was released on 15 August 2026 after a presidential pardon, which left his conviction and a 1 billion CFA franc fine in place.