Chad's former PM gets 20 years in prison for inciting violence

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 said.

The special criminal chamber in the national capital of N'djamena convicted Masra of hate speech, xenophobia and inciting a massacre, Francis Kadjilembaye, one of the defence lawyers, told reporters on Saturday.

Masra denied the charges during the trial.

His lawyers argued that the prosecution failed to present concrete evidence that implicated Masra.

In addition to 20 years in prison, Masra was ordered to pay a fine of $1.8 million, said Kadjilembaye Francis, one of his lawyers.

From friend to foe

Masra is a staunch opponent of President Mahamat Idriss Deby, who nevertheless served as prime minister in Deby's interim government for about five months before running against him in a May 2024 election.

Chad's prosecutor launched an investigation against him in May in relation to a clash in which dozens were killed in the southern town of Mandakao that month.

The lawyer said his team planned to appeal.

He was tried along with 74 co-defendants who were accused of participating in the massacre.

Masra, the leader of Chad's main opposition party, Les Transformateurs (Transformers), was arrested on May 16 following inter-communal violence in Logone Occidental province that killed 42 people on May 14.

He went on a hunger strike in July to protest his detention. He ended the hunger strike after nearly a week, following a protest by women who demanded his release.

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Source: TRT