Malian activist Adama Diarra, widely known as “Ben le Cerveau” (Ben the Brain), was sentenced on Monday to five years in prison.
It includes four years of firm time, by the Criminal Division of the Bamako Court of Appeal for issuing threats and insults via an information system.
The sentence handed down is lighter than the ten-year prison term requested by the prosecutor general during the July 27 hearing. The defense team had sought a full acquittal.
The case centered primarily on an audio recording presented as a private conversation. While Diarra acknowledged that his voice could be heard in the clip, he disputed specific passages and questioned the file’s authenticity. His defense lawyers also challenged the legality of how the recording was obtained as well as its technical integrity.
The charges stem from a conversation linked to the preparations for a demonstration planned in January 2023. The activist maintained that the exchange was never intended for public dissemination and stated he had no knowledge of how the file was leaked.
A key figure in the Yèrèwolo-Debout sur les remparts movement, Diarra was once a prominent ally of the transition authorities, notably advocating for national sovereignty and closer ties with Russia. He also served as a member of the National Transition Council following the 2020 coup.
However, his relationship with the military leadership deteriorated after he publicly called for adherence to the original timetable for a return to constitutional rule. Arrested in September 2023, he was previously convicted of “harming the credit of the state” before his sentence was reduced on appeal.
Having already been detained for several months under this latest procedure, his time spent in pre-trial custody is expected to be deducted from the enforceable prison term issued on Monday.
MD/te/lb/as/APA