Chad: succès masra’s conviction upheld, his party alleges political motive

The Supreme Court of Chad, on Thursday, May 21, dismissed the appeal filed by former Prime Minister and leader of the “Les Transformateurs” party, Succès Masra. This decision definitively affirmed his 20-year prison sentence, a ruling that immediately triggered widespread outrage and disappointment among his supporters.

In an official statement, Les Transformateurs asserted that “Chadian justice missed a historic opportunity” by choosing to uphold the verdict originally handed down against their president last year.

The party strongly condemned the profoundly political nature of the trial. They emphasized that “this decision by the Supreme Court once again confirms the deeply political character of President Masra’s arbitrary detention, which has now lasted 371 days,” clearly aiming to remove a prominent opposition figure from the political landscape.

The opposition movement also criticized the judiciary for ignoring numerous international calls for Masra’s release, which had highlighted the injustice and underscored fundamental principles of the rule of law. Furthermore, supporters of the former Chadian Prime Minister have expressed significant concern regarding his health, which is reportedly in a “considerably degraded” state.

Masra had been found guilty of criminal association and complicity in murder following the Mandakao massacre, an incident that occurred in May 2025 in a village within the Logone Occidental province. With all national legal avenues now exhausted, the opposition leader’s legal team is reportedly contemplating taking the case to international jurisdictions.