World News
Former Madagascar Senate leader sentenced to hard labour over deadly protest crackdown
Richard Ravalomanana received a 10-year term for complicity in murder related to the 2025 youth-led demonstrations and plans to appeal.
The short version
- A court in Antananarivo sentenced former Senate president and retired general Richard Ravalomanana to 10 years of hard labour for complicity in murder.
- Prosecutors alleged he directed security forces to violently suppress youth-led demonstrations in late 2025, which preceded the ouster of President Andry Rajoelina.
- Ravalomanana denies the charges, arguing he was outside the operational chain of command, and his legal team plans to appeal the verdict.
Key facts
- Richard Ravalomanana was convicted of complicity in murder and sentenced to 10 years of hard labour by a court in Antananarivo.[BBC News]
- State prosecutors alleged that Ravalomanana instructed security forces to use violence to crush youth-led protests in September and October 2025.[BBC News]
- UN estimates cited by local media reported that at least 22 people were killed and over 100 were injured during the 2025 unrest.[BBC News]
- A former national police chief testified in Ravalomanana's defense, stating he had no operational command over the deployed forces and issued no operational orders.[BBC News]
- The court dismissed a separate charge concerning a death threat due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.[BBC News]
What remains uncertain
- The outcome of Ravalomanana's planned appeal in a higher court and the status of a separate pending corruption investigation remain undetermined.[BBC News]