Mali Pardons French Citizen Handed 20-Year Prison Term Over Alleged Coup Plot

Mali’s military leader, President Assimi Goïta, has granted a presidential pardon to Yann Vézilier, a French national who was sentenced to 20 years in prison over an alleged plot to destabilise the country.

Under the terms of the clemency decree, the Malian government confirmed that the pardon does not overturn the facts established during the trial and requires Vézilier to be removed immediately from national territory.

Vézilier was originally detained in August of last year and held in custody in Bamako for roughly 10 months before his conviction and sentencing in June. Malian authorities accused him of espionage on behalf of French intelligence services and participating in a coordinated conspiracy to undermine the state alongside domestic military personnel.

While Vézilier has been released for deportation, several Malian officers arrested alongside him in connection with the alleged plot remain in detention and have not yet stood trial.

The French foreign ministry has repeatedly denied the espionage and destabilisation allegations, maintaining that Vézilier was in the country conducting a legitimate security cooperation mission. Following his arrest last year, bilateral relations deteriorated sharply, prompting France to suspend counter-terrorism cooperation with Mali and expel two Malian diplomats.

Mali’s government credited the discreet mediation of a "brotherly country" for facilitating the pardon, with a military source identifying that intermediary as Morocco. The diplomatic breakthrough comes amid years of strained ties between Paris and its former colony, following military takeovers in the Sahel that led to the withdrawal of French forces and Mali's realignment toward Russia for security support.