Mali lawmaker jailed for insulting Ivory Coast leader

An Abidjan court on Friday sentenced a Malian politician to three years in prison for insulting Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara.

Mamadou Hawa Gassama, a member of junta-ruled Mali’s transitional parliament, referred to the long-standing Ivorian leader as an “enemy of Mali” during an interview with Malian media in September 2022.

Diplomatic relations between Mali and Ivory Coast have been tense since back-to-back coups in 2020 and 2021, which brought General Assimi Goita to power in Bamako.

Ouattara has strongly opposed the coups which have shaken several countries in West Africa’s Sahel region in recent years. 

Gassama was arrested after a stay in Ivory Coast in July and detained.

He was prosecuted for “insulting” the head of state and “disseminating offensive expressions online”.

The Abidjan court jailed him for three years, after which he faces a ban on residence for the same period. He was also fine.

“We believe that this decision is, first of all, excessive; it is serious, and it is very severe,” Gassama’s lawyer Mamadou Ismaila Konate told reporters.

Gassama is known for being outspoken and was an opposition lawmaker during the presidency of Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who was toppled in the 2020 military coup.