Madagascar’s former Senate president Richard Ravalomanana has been sentenced to 10 years of hard labour after a court found him guilty of complicity in murder over his alleged involvement in the security crackdown on youth-led demonstrations last year.
Ravalomanana, a retired general and former ally of ex-President Andry Rajoelina, rejected the allegations throughout the proceedings and has indicated that he will appeal the verdict.
The case relates to protests that erupted across Madagascar in September and October 2025. The demonstrations initially centred on persistent shortages of electricity and water but later developed into a broader challenge to Rajoelina’s administration.
According to United Nations figures cited by local media, at least 22 people died and more than 100 others were injured during the unrest.
Prosecutors argued that Ravalomanana used his influence within the security establishment to encourage or direct a violent response against demonstrators. The gendarmerie was heavily involved in efforts to contain the protests.
However, the defence strongly contested the prosecution’s version of events.
Ravalomanana’s lawyers argued that prosecutors had failed to produce convincing evidence showing that he instructed police officers, soldiers or gendarmes to use deadly force.
A former national police chief who appeared as a witness also reportedly told the court that Ravalomanana was not within the operational chain of command during the unrest.
His lawyer further questioned the absence of any written or verbal directive directly connecting the former Senate president to the violence.
The political consequences of the demonstrations were significant. The unrest contributed to a crisis that ultimately resulted in Rajoelina leaving office and a new administration being established under Colonel Michael Randrianirina.
Ravalomanana lost his position as Senate president in October, shortly after the protests. He was arrested two months later after failing to honour a summons from the gendarmerie.
He has spent the past seven months in pre-trial detention at a high-security prison outside Madagascar’s capital.
The court also threw out a separate allegation involving a death threat, ruling that the charge was too old to be prosecuted.
Despite the latest ruling, Ravalomanana still faces another legal challenge involving a separate corruption investigation.
His case forms part of a wider series of legal proceedings involving senior figures associated with Rajoelina’s former government following the political transition.
