Pro-Ravalomanana leaders staggering between freedom and condemnation

Since already few weeks, Manandafy Rakotonirina, latest Prime minister appointed by Marc Ravalomanana, has been temporarily released. The verdict of his lawsuit has been pronounced on September 22nd. He is condemned to two years of confinement with reprieve, namely for power usurpation and attack against public order.  

Ihanta Randriamandranto, arrested with Manandafy Rakotonirina by the end of April in the capital city, has been condemned to six months of confinement, also with reprieve.  

However, both of these figures of the “legalistic” movement in favour of the president in exile Marc Ravalomanana were potentially susceptible to be entitled to a new release sentence, anything longer than a temporary one. Although they decided to launch an appeal against this judgment, estimating that the verdict didn’t respect the terms of the Maputo agreement, that is to say the dropping of all judicial pursuits against actors of the 2009 political crisis. 

The Marc Ravalomanana mobility’s fight for the release of its thanes, held in custody because of the political crisis, currently continues anyway. After the signature of the Maputo agreement, the Ravalomanana mobility has been waiting for the liberation of nearly forty classified “political” prisoners. Not more than ten of them have been released. Ever since, new tenants have turned in behind bars, as the former deputy Raharinaivo Andrianantoandro has.  

Another convict has been capturing lots of attention during the latest days; Senator Naika Eliane, has, however, been granted temporary release. France’s far reaching arm is, without a doubt, to be, somehow, thanked for that. Naika Eliane is actually a French citizen. She got an unexpected visit from France’s ambassador in Madagascar, Jean Marc Châtaigner, at the female jail of Manjakandriana, few days after her incarceration.  

Naika Eliane was part of the Marc Ravalomanana mobility’s delegation at the time of the second leg of the summit concerning the Malagasy crisis, held in Maputo, by the end of August.