Mali's former prime minister announces release from prison

DAKAR, Aug 3 - Mali's former Prime Minister Moussa Mara has been released from prison, he said at the weekend in a video posted on Facebook.

• Mara was sentenced to two years in October 2025, including one year in prison and a second on probation, over a social-media post criticising the military government's restrictions on democracy.

• He had been detained last August and charged with undermining the credibility of the state and spreading false information.

• He had been summoned repeatedly over a social media post in July 2025 that expressed solidarity with government critics who had been jailed.

• Mara was among few public figures in Mali who criticised Assimi Goita's military government. REUTERS