US EditionChad Opposition Leader Faces Heavy Sentence Amidst Political Tensions
CHAD, AUG 9 – Succes Masra was sentenced for inciting deadly ethnic violence that killed 35 people, amid ongoing political tensions and disputed elections in Chad, officials said.
- On Saturday, N'Djamena court sentenced Succes Masra, former prime minister and opposition leader, to 20 years for disseminating racist messages that incited violence.
- In May, Masra, head of the Transformers party, was accused alongside 67 co-defendants of causing a deadly clash in Logone Occidental.
- Kadjilembay Francis, defence lawyer, vowed to appeal and called the ruling 'ignominy and unworthy humiliation' after Saturday's court in N'Djamena, with Masra telling supporters to 'Stand firm' before leaving.
- Success Masra rejected the verdict, denied charges of hate speech, xenophobia, and alleged incitement, and claimed the presidential vote was rigged.
- Amid military rule since 2021, Masra's opposition to the parliamentary election earlier this year challenges current President Mahamat Deby, who took power in 2021.
19 Articles
19 Articles
In Chad, Success Masra, former Prime Minister and President of the opposition party Les Transformers, was sentenced on Saturday, 9 August, to 20 years in prison and must, in addition, pay 1 billion CFA francs of damages and interest to the Chadian State. After the verdict, Success Masra sent a message to his party's activists.
For decades, the Déby family has been authoritarian in Chad. An important voice of the opposition will probably be silenced: the politician Succès Masra will be imprisoned for a long time.
The Prosecutor General requested 25 years. The court sentenced the former prime minister to 20 years in prison. Successes Masra was still sentenced to a fine of EUR 1.5 million.
The Straits Times
Chad's former PM and opposition leader sentenced to 20 years
N'DJAMENA - Chad's former Prime Minister and opposition leader Succes Masra has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after he was convicted of disseminating racist and xenophobic messages that incited violence, his lawyer told Reuters on Saturday. Read more at straitstimes.com.
Chad Opposition Leader Faces Heavy Sentence Amidst Political Tensions
Chad's former Prime Minister and opposition leader, Succes Masra, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for allegedly spreading racist and xenophobic messages that incited violence. Masra, a vocal critic of President Mahamat Idriss Deby, was fined $1.8 million. His legal team plans to appeal the decision.
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