Chad’s supreme court upholds succés masra’s 20-year sentence, igniting political outcry

The Supreme Court of Chad definitively upheld the 20-year prison sentence for former Prime Minister and leader of the Les Transformateurs party, Succès Masra, on Thursday, May 21. This rejection of his appeal to the highest court has immediately triggered a wave of strong disapproval and disappointment among his supporters across the nation.

In a formal statement, Les Transformateurs declared that the Chadian judicial system had squandered a historic opportunity by affirming the initial verdict handed down against their president last year.

The opposition party vociferously condemned the trial’s inherently political character. They emphasized that this decision by the Supreme Court further solidifies the deeply political nature of President Masra’s arbitrary detention, which has now spanned 371 days. They view this as a clear maneuver to eliminate a prominent opposition figure from the country’s political landscape.

Furthermore, Les Transformateurs criticized the judiciary for disregarding numerous international calls demanding Masra’s release, denouncing the perceived injustice, and advocating for fundamental principles of the rule of law. Adding to the distress, the former Chadian Prime Minister’s allies have expressed significant apprehension regarding his health, which they claim has “considerably deteriorated” during his incarceration.

Masra was found guilty of criminal association and complicity in murder following the tragic Mandakao massacre, an event that occurred in May 2025 in a village within the Logone Occidental province. With all national legal avenues now exhausted, the legal team representing the opposition leader is reportedly preparing to pursue recourse through international judicial bodies.