Moussa Mara, former Prime Minister of Mali, was arrested in Bamako on August 1, 2025, for allegedly “undermining the credibility of the state” as a result of some social media posts he made about his visits to political prisoners.
Mara’s arrest comes weeks after he had undergone four rounds of interrogation within the month of July 2025. Before his arrest on August 1 by “Le Pole national de lutte contre la cyber-criminalité”, the former Prime minister had been summoned at the Judicial Investigation Brigade, then at the Public Prosecutor’s Office of “Le Tribunal de Grande Instance de la Commune IV”, then at “Le Commissariat de Police de la Commune 4” in Bamako.
On July 21, 2025, Moussa Mara, who served as Prime Minister of Mali over an eight-month period from 2014 to 2015, was also prevented from leaving the country without any prior notification from either the judicial or military authorities forbidding him to leave the country. At the time of being denied his freedom of movement, Mara did not have any restrictions on his passport.
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) calls on the authorities to immediately stop what appears to be a targeted harassment against Mara, arguably because of his social media commentary. The Constitution of Mali guarantees freedom of expression. The MFWA, therefore, urges the authorities in Mali to respect and protect the right to expression, offline and online.
