Mali’s Ex-PM Moussa Mara questioned over social media post

Mali’s former prime minister Moussa Mara faced another day of questioning on Thursday over a message he posted on social media last month.  

Media reports say that Mara was summoned to appear before a court specialised in cybercrime, two weeks after an interrogation by the country’s Judicial Investigation Brigade.  

Mara, who resigned his office in 2015, posted a message on the social media platform X on July 4 in which he says he visited a number of political and civil society figures in prison, including journalist Ras Bath and social media influencer Rose Vie Chere.

There has been no official statement on why Mara is being questioned but his use of the term “prisoners of conscience” may have irked authorities with the implication that their detention is politically motivated.   

No official legal action has been taken against Mara and he is at liberty, although not permitted to leave the country.

Mali is ruled by a military junta that seized power in 2021.