N’DJAMENA: Chadian President Mahamat Idriss Deby on Friday pardoned jailed ex-prime minister and leader of the main opposition party Succes Masra and eight other opposition leaders.
Deby has led Chad since 2021 after taking charge of a military transition following the death of his father, Idriss Deby Itno, who was killed by rebels after 30 years leading the central African country.
Analysts and the opposition had said that long jail terms imposed on opposition figures showed Chad was sliding further from democratic principles under Deby.
Masra, one of the president’s fiercest critics, was sentenced to 20 years in prison a year ago, convicted of hate speech, xenophobia and inciting a massacre, in what Human Rights Watch called a politically motivated trial.
The eight other party leaders all belonged to the Political Actors’ Consultation Group (GCAP), the main opposition coalition, which was dissolved by the Supreme Court in April.
