The President of Mali, Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta has pardoned 400 prisoners in order to contain the spread of Coronavirus. The Preacher Bandiougou Doumbia was also released . Doumbia has been jailed for two years in March for comments notably praising jihadist leaders Iyad Ag Ghali and AmadouKoufa.
The released prisoners, with the exception of Doumbia, were due for release in January 2021. The minister of Justice Malick Coulibaly revealed that the move will ease the pressure at crowded prisons.
The identity of the other prisoners weren’t disclosed.
Many other countries, including fellow African nations such as Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Niger, and South Africa have announced similar releases of prisoners, who are particularly at risk from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The United Nations(UN) agencies, including the World Health Organization, have called for governments to take measures to protect those being detained, suggesting that non-violent prisoners be freed to avoid the spread of the virus.
Mali have recorded the total of 1,500 Coronavirus cases with 53 fatalities.

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