Abuse of power & retaliationCourts & justice
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.
Confidence: Alleged · 2 sourcesChad · Oct 13, 2026
Subject of this story
Supreme Court of Chad
Also named
Affected
Succès Masra, Opposition leader; former Prime Minister of Chad
Advocate
Human Rights Watch
What happened
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. HRW says 65 co-defendants convicted alongside him are still in prison, and calls on authorities to set the convictions aside. Masra pleaded not guilty.
Sources (2)
Human Rights WatchMasra had appealed his conviction to the Supreme Court, but the court upheld his conviction and 20-year sentence in May.
Human Rights Watchfound Masra guilty of spreading racist and xenophobic messages and of complicity in murder tied to intercommunity conflict
Response
Supreme Court of Chad
Not yet contacted
Not yet contacted for this story.
What happened next (0)
No outcome recorded yet.