Mali’s former prime minister is now under military rule and is accused of undermining the state’s comments on social media.
Moussa Mara declared X “firm solidarity with prisoners of conscience” after visiting opposition figures in July.
Mara, who served as prime minister for nine months a decade ago, recently bluntly criticized the military government.
The junta has been in power since the coups in 2020 and 2021 and has dissolved all parties in May after rare anti-government protests.
Mara was detained and interrogated for the second time by the state cybercrime department on Thursday, his July 4 X post.
In the Post, the former prime minister said his regular visits were to detain people to ensure that “the flame of hope never fades away.”
“As long as the night continues, the sun will inevitably rise! We will work hard to achieve this as soon as possible, as soon as possible!” he added.
Radio France International reported that prosecutors in the cybercrime department said they talked about “prisoners of conscience” and said he wanted to fight for them.
He was also charged with legal authority against and incitement to public obstacles Friday with allegations of undermining the credibility of the country.
He will be tried on September 29.
A month ago, military leader Gen Assimi Goïta was granted a five-year presidency by the Transitional Parliament, which could be renewed without elections.
The 41-year-old seized power twice and was appointed transitional president after the 2021 coup.
At the time, he promised to hold the election the following year – but then revoked it in an effort to restore multilateral rule in West Africa.
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