The legal proceedings against prominent Chadian opposition leader Succès Masra have reached a critical juncture, with the case now in the hands of the Attorney General following the conclusion of a judicial investigation earlier this week.
Masra, accused of inciting hatred and attempting to undermine the constitutional order, may soon face trial. His legal team, however, maintains that the case is politically charged and unsupported by substantive evidence.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, the defense lawyers challenged the legitimacy of the charges and the investigative process.
“This procedure is based on political considerations, not on facts or law,” said Kadjilembaye Olivier, spokesperson for the defense collective.
He reaffirmed the team’s resolve to continue defending Masra “in the face of a clear instrumentalization of justice.”
The lawyers further claimed that no co-defendants in the case had implicated Masra in any wrongdoing. Central to the prosecution’s argument is an audio recording dated May 2023 — well over a year before the deadly unrest in Mandakaou in May 2025 — which the defense argues has no direct relevance to the recent violence.
At the heart of the dispute lies the question of whether Masra’s political rhetoric and actions crossed into illegality, or whether his prosecution marks a broader effort by the Chadian authorities to silence dissent ahead of future political transitions.
Masra, a well-known critic of the current government, has consistently denied the allegations, branding them a smear campaign designed to neutralize opposition voices.
With the investigative phase officially closed as of July 15, the final decision on whether the case will proceed to court now rests with the Attorney General. A ruling is expected in the coming days.
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