Malian activist Adama Diarra, widely known as “Ben the Brain,” has been sentenced to five years in prison, including four years of mandatory imprisonment, by the Criminal Chamber of the Bamako Court of Appeal after being convicted of making threats and insults through an information system.
The sentence was lighter than the 10-year prison term sought by the Attorney General, while the defense had argued for his acquittal.
The case centered on an audio recording presented as evidence, with Diarra acknowledging that one of the voices was his but disputing parts of the recording and challenging its authenticity and the manner in which it was obtained.
The charges stemmed from a private conversation linked to preparations for a demonstration planned in January 2023, which Diarra said was never intended for public release. Once a prominent supporter of Mali’s transitional authorities through the Yèrèwolo-Debout sur les remparts movement and an advocate of closer ties with Russia, his relationship with the government deteriorated after he called for respect for the timetable to restore constitutional rule. Previously arrested in September 2023 and convicted of undermining the credibility of the state, Diarra has already spent several months in detention, which will be deducted from the custodial portion of his latest sentence.
