A trial has opened for Moussa Mara, the former prime minister of Mali, who is currently jailed by the country’s military rulers over visiting political prisoners and expressing solidarity with them online.
The trial started at Mali’s specialised national cybercrime court unit in the capital city of Bamako on Monday, but no verdict has emerged yet, according to local media reports.
Mountaga Tall, the politician’s lawyer, said in a post on X that the proceedings have two parts, namely a request to provisionally release Mara from jail, and the overall case on the merits. He also flagged that hearings are public.
The case stems from a post on X made by the former prime minister on July 4, which declared “unwavering solidarity with prisoners of conscience”.
Mara named several political prisoners to whom he paid visits, and said, “As long as the night lasts, the sun will obviously appear!”, adding, “We will fight by all means for this to happen as soon as possible!”
According to his lawyer, the online post prompted the West African country’s military authorities to pursue four charges through a cybercrime prosecutor who ordered the arrest.
The charges include undermining the state’s credibility and legitimacy, opposition to legitimate authority, inciting public disorder, and spreading false information.
Mali is under the military rule of General Assimi Goita, who was sworn in as transitional president in June 2021 after orchestrating two coups in two consecutive years.
In July 2025, the military-appointed parliament granted him a five-year presidential term, which is renewable without elections. Goita signed the law in the same month, and elections remain postponed indefinitely.
He also dissolved political parties in May 2025, changing the transition charter to extend his rule.
In August, military authorities arrested a group of servicemen and civilians, including two Malian army generals and a suspected French secret agent, accused of attempting to destabilise the country.
Mali, a landlocked nation in West Africa’s semi-arid Sahel region on the southern fringe of the Sahara Desert, has not been spared from the instability that has swept across West and Central Africa over the last decade.
In January 2024, Mali quit regional bloc ECOWAS and formed the Alliance of Sahel States with Burkina Faso and Niger, which are also ruled by military authorities that orchestrated coups.
The trio last week announced their withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), which can issue arrest warrants binding for all member states.
Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso have also rolled back defence cooperation with Western powers, most notably their former colonial ruler, France, and opted for closer ties with Russia.
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