Mali’s Transition Government says President and Head of State, Army General Assimi Goïta, has granted a presidential pardon to Yann Christian Bernard Vezilier, a French national who was sentenced by a Malian court to 20 years’ criminal imprisonment for undermining the external security of the state.
The decision was announced in a communiqué issued on Thursday, August 13, 2026, following the signing of Decree N°0503/PT-RM by President Goïta. The government said the pardon does not invalidate the facts established by the court, stressing that Vezilier was tried and convicted after what it described as an adversarial and fair trial in which his rights of defence were respected.
The Transition Government said the pardon is accompanied by the immediate removal of Vezilier from Mali. It did not name the country involved but expressed appreciation to a “brotherly country” whose discreet diplomatic efforts, it said, contributed to securing the pardon while respecting Mali’s sovereignty.
The government also said the decision reflects President Goïta’s attachment to peace, dialogue, forgiveness, hospitality and reconciliation, describing the pardon as consistent with Mali’s cultural values and the broader process of state refoundation.
It, however, stressed that the pardon does not interfere with the work of the judiciary, noting that justice will continue to play its role in all ongoing proceedings and that such matters will be handled in accordance with the principles of the rule of law.
The communiqué was signed in Bamako by Brigadier General Issa Ousmane Coulibaly, Minister of Territorial Administration and Decentralization and Government Spokesperson.
Story by Freedom Etsey Lavoe