Ivory Coast Frees Malian MP Imprisoned for Insulting President
Last update: February 11, 2026
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Mamadou Hawa Gassama released after receiving presidential pardon from Alassane Ouattara.
Ivory Coast has freed a Malian lawmaker days after he was sentenced to three years in prison for insulting President Alassane Ouattara, the politician’s lawyer said on Wednesday.
Mamadou Hawa Gassama, a member of Mali’s transitional parliament under the ruling junta, referred to Ouattara as an enemy of Mali during an interview with Malian media in September 2022.
Diplomatic relations between Mali and Ivory Coast have been strained since successive coups in 2020 and 2021 brought General Assimi Goita to power in Bamako.
Ouattara has strongly opposed the coups that have shaken several countries in West Africa’s Sahel region in recent years.
Gassama was arrested in Ivory Coast last year and jailed in January for insulting the head of state and disseminating offensive expressions online.
His lawyer, Mamadou Ismaila Konate, said in a statement that the politician, who apologised during his trial and appealed his conviction, regained his freedom on Tuesday after receiving a presidential pardon from Ouattara.
The measure had the immediate effect of ending Mr Gassama’s detention, Konate said.
Gassama is known for his outspoken views and previously served as an opposition lawmaker during the presidency of Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who was overthrown in the 2020 military coup.
