TransparencyAbuse of power & retaliationCourts & justice
Mali jailed former prime minister Moussa Mara for a social media post of solidarity with detained critics; appeals court upheld the sentence
Confidence: Confirmed · 2 sourcesMali · Oct 6, 2026
Subject of this story
Government of Mali (Transition)
Pole national de lutte contre la cybercriminalite (Mali)
Also named
Affected
Moussa Mara, Former Prime Minister of Mali (2014-2015); leader of the Yelema party
Advocate
Amnesty International
What happened
Moussa Mara, prime minister in 2014-2015 and leader of the opposition Yelema party, was arrested on 1 August 2025 after a 4 July post expressing solidarity with imprisoned critics of Mali's military government. In October 2025 a cybercrime court sentenced him to two years (one suspended) and a 500,000 CFA franc fine for undermining state authority and inciting public disorder; an appeals court upheld the sentence on 9 February 2026. His lawyers say the prosecution presented no evidence of an offence. Jeune Afrique reported he was released on 1 August 2026 after serving a year.
By the numbers (1)
● confirmed by a primary document · ○ reported
Figures
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Moussa Mara was sentenced to two years under the 2019 cybercrime law (one year without parole, one suspended); an appeals court upheld the sentence on February 9, 2026.
1 source
- www.hrw.orgDocument
sentenced to two years under the 2019 cybercrime law
Sources (2)
SourceAppeal upheld 9 February 2026; Amnesty: authorities must quash the 'baseless conviction and sentence'.
SourceArrested August 2025 for expressing solidarity with prisoners of conscience; sentenced to two years under the 2019 cybercrime law; appeals court upheld sentence.
Response
Government of Mali (Transition)
Not yet contacted
Not yet contacted for this story.
Pole national de lutte contre la cybercriminalite (Mali)
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Not yet contacted for this story.
What happened next (0)
No outcome recorded yet.