An Abidjan court, on Friday, sentenced a 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 President Ouattara as an “enemy of Mali” during an interview with Malian media in September 2022.
Diplomatic relations between Mali and Côte d’Ivoire have remained strained since successive military coups in Mali in 2020 and 2021, which brought General Assimi Goita to power in Bamako.
President Ouattara has been a vocal critic of the coups, which have destabilised several countries across West Africa’s Sahel region.
Gassama was arrested in July after entering Côte d’Ivoire and was subsequently detained.
Prosecutors charged him with insulting the head of state and disseminating offensive expressions online.
In its ruling, the Abidjan court sentenced him to three-year imprisonment and ordered a further three-year ban on residence after his jail term. He was also fined, although the amount was not disclosed.
Reacting to the judgement, Gassama’s lawyer, Mamadou Ismaila Konate, criticised the decision, describing it as excessive and unusually severe.
Gassama is known for his outspoken views and previously served as an opposition lawmaker during the presidency of Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who was overthrown in Mali’s 2020 military coup.
