'It is regrettable for our country': Supporters protest former Chad PM’s 20-year prison sentence
Supporters of former Chad Prime Minister Succes Masra have staged protests against his conviction and 20-year prison sentence for hate speech, xenophobia, and inciting a massacre.
“He has just been sentenced, along with other citizens, to 20 years' imprisonment, based on a completely empty case file,” Francis Kadjilembaye, coordinator of Masra’s defence lawyers, said.
“As you have seen, we are unfortunately witnessing the establishment of a practice that consists of manipulating the justice system to settle political scores. We cannot stress this enough, and it is regrettable for our country,” he added.
Masra, who served as prime minister between January and May last year, leads the Transformers party and is a prominent critic of President Mahamat Deby.
He was accused alongside 67 co-defendants, mostly from the Ngambaye ethnic group, of triggering a violent clash between herders and farmers in Logone Occidental in May. The violence left 35 people dead and six others injured.
The former prime minister has denied all charges. He also contested the results of the May 2024 presidential election, in which Chad’s electoral body declared Deby the winner with 61.3% of the vote. Masra placed second, securing 18.53%.
This story is written and edited by the Global South World team, you can contact us here.
