Former Malian lawmaker Mamadou Hawa Gassama was released from detention in Abidjan and is returning to Bamako aboard an Air Côte d’Ivoire flight following a presidential pardon granted by Ivorian President Alassane Ouattara. The decision ends more than seven months of imprisonment after the politician was convicted in Côte d’Ivoire for remarks deemed offensive toward the Ivorian head of state.
Gassama, a prominent figure in Malian politics and a member of the National Transitional Council (CNT), was arrested in July 2025 while in Abidjan on a private visit. He was charged with “offense against the head of state” and publishing insulting statements online. The case stemmed from comments he made in September 2022 during an interview with a Malian media outlet in which he criticised President Ouattara.
On January 30, 2026, the Abidjan-Plateau court sentenced him to three years in prison, fined him five million CFA francs, and imposed a three-year ban on staying in Côte d’Ivoire after his sentence. The ruling sparked debate in both Mali and Côte d’Ivoire and drew attention to issues of political expression and legal limits on speech across the region.
On February 10, 2026, President Ouattara signed a presidential pardon decree that immediately commuted Gassama’s sentence and secured his freedom. The measure came while legal appeals were being prepared and was confirmed by his lawyer, Mamadou Ismaïla Konaté, who described the decision as a welcome act of clemency.
Shortly after his release from the Maison d’Arrêt et de Correction d’Abidjan (MACA), Gassama boarded an Air Côte d’Ivoire flight bound for Bamako. His departure marks a significant turn in a case that had drawn attention to Côte d’Ivoire–Mali relations and the broader debate over freedom of expression in West Africa. Some analysts view the pardon as an effort to ease diplomatic tensions between the two neighboring capitals, which have experienced strained ties in recent years.
Supporters of Gassama in Mali have welcomed his release, viewing the pardon as a positive step toward reconciliation and justice, while critics continue to question how legal standards for political speech should be balanced with respect for national institutions. Gassama’s return to Mali is expected to stir further discussion within the country’s political landscape.