BAMAKO: A Malian court has detained and charged former Prime Minister Moussa Mara over a social media post criticizing shrinking democratic space under military rule in the West African nation, his lawyer said late Friday.
Mara is one of few public figures in the country who has been willing to openly question moves taken this year to dissolve political parties and grant the military government, led by Assimi Goita, a five-year mandate without elections.
Last month, authorities formally approved Goita’s five-year term and said it could be renewed as many times as necessary as Mali struggles to respond to a long-running jihadist insurgency. Goita assumed power after military coups in 2020 and 2021.
Mara had been summoned several times for questioning this month over a social media post dated July 4 expressing solidarity with government critics who have been jailed.
On July 21, his lawyer, Mountaga Tall, posted on social media site X that Mara had been barred from boarding a flight to Senegal to participate in a regional conference on peace and security.
On Friday, Mara was summoned by a judicial cybercrimes unit, and a prosecutor charged him with offenses including undermining the credibility of the state and spreading false information, Tall said in a statement.
Mara’s trial has been scheduled for September 29, Tall said. A government spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The case against Mara comes amid worsening insecurity in Mali. The past few months have seen a surge of deadly attacks by Jama’at Nusrat Al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), an Al-Qaeda-linked group that also operates in Burkina Faso and Niger.
Analysts say the group’s battlefield tactics have grown increasingly sophisticated and that it has amassed substantial resources through raids on military posts, cattle rustling, hijacking of goods, kidnappings and taxes on local communities.
On Friday, the group said it had ambushed a convoy of Malian soldiers and Russian mercenaries in the Tenenkou locality in central Mali. Mali’s army confirmed the ambush in a statement on X. Neither statement gave a death toll.
Mali ex-prime minister to stand trial over social media post, lawyer says
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Mali ex-prime minister to stand trial over social media post, lawyer says
- Mara is one of few public figures in the country who has been willing to openly question moves taken this year to dissolve political parties and grant the military government
Canadian police investigate reports of gunfire at US consulate in Toronto
- Police said they were at the scene near University Avenue and Queen Street West
- “Evidence of a firearm discharge has been located,” police said in the post
TORONTO: Canadian police are investigating reports that the United States consulate in downtown Toronto was hit by gunfire early on Tuesday morning.
No injuries have been reported.
Toronto police said Tuesday they responded to reports at around 5:30 a.m. that someone shot a gun at the US consulate.
In a post on social media, police said they were at the scene near University Avenue and Queen Street West.
“Evidence of a firearm discharge has been located,” police said in the post.
No suspect information has been released.
“The shooting that took place at the US consulate early this morning is an absolutely unacceptable act of violence and intimidation aimed at our American friends and neighbors,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said in a statement.
“Everyone at all levels of government and across Canada needs to make clear that there is zero tolerance for this sort of intimidating and dangerous behavior.”
The reported shooting comes after two Toronto-area synagogues were struck by gunfire last weekend.
“The US consulate was shot at. This comes after shootings at synagogues,” Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow said. “This cannot stand. Toronto’s Jewish community has the right to practice their faith and culture and to live their day-to-day lives without fear, intimidation or violence. As we have seen too many times, antisemitic incidents spike when international incidents rise. It is never acceptable to target the Jewish community.”
Chow said there is heavy police presence on Tuesday at both the US and Israeli consulates in Toronto.
The war in Iran has prompted large demonstrations outside the US consulate, both in support and in protest.
