Mali has granted a presidential pardon to French national Yann Christian Bernard Vézilier, who was sentenced to 20 years in prison for an offence against state security, in a move that could remove another major point of tension between Bamako and Paris.
The decision was announced on Thursday, August 13, by Mali's transitional government following a decree signed by transitional President Gen. Assimi Goïta.
Vézilier was convicted in June after Malian authorities accused him of involvement in an alleged plot to destabilise the country's transitional government. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison, alongside other penalties imposed by the Malian court.
France rejected the allegations against its citizen, with Paris maintaining that Vézilier was carrying out a security-cooperation mission and had no involvement in any attempt to destabilise Mali.
Bamako maintains conviction despite pardon
