Madagascar's former Senate president sentenced to 10 years hard labour for role in protest crackdown

Madagascar's former Senate president has been sentenced to 10 years of hard labour over his alleged role in the violent crackdown on youth-led protests that helped bring down the previous government last year.

Richard Ravalomanana, a retired general and close ally of former President Andry Rajoelina, was found guilty of complicity in murder by a court in the capital, Antananarivo, on Tuesday.

Prosecutors accused him of giving instructions to security forces to use violence against demonstrators during the so-called Gen Z protests in September and October 2025.

Ravalomanana denied the allegations and said he would appeal against the judgement.

The protests began a year ago, initially sparked by anger over persistent power and water shortages, before developing into a broader movement against Rajoelina's government.

At least 22 people were killed and more than 100 injured during the unrest, according to UN figures cited by local media.

The protests eventually triggered a political crisis that led to Rajoelina's removal from power and the installation of a new administration led by Col Michael Randrianirina.

The crackdown was led by the gendarmerie, where Ravalomanana retained considerable influence at the time.

He "directed violent actions to suppress the demonstrations", a state prosecutor said in December 2025.

Ravalomanana was removed as Senate president in October, shortly after the protests, and was arrested at his home in December after failing to respond to a summons from the gendarmerie.

He was later placed in pre-trial detention at the high-security Imerintsiatosika prison outside Antananarivo, where he has spent the past seven months.

He is among several senior figures associated with Rajoelina's former government who have faced legal proceedings since the change of power. Ravalomanana is also facing a separate corruption investigation.

A former national police chief who testified at the trial backed his account, saying Ravalomanana was not part of the operational chain of command and had issued no orders to police, gendarmes or soldiers deployed during the unrest.

His lawyer questioned the evidence linking him directly to the violence.

"Is there confirmed written or verbal evidence... to accuse him?" he asked the court, arguing that prosecutors had failed to produce proof that security officers had received orders from his client.

Ravalomanana's defence team said it would challenge the verdict in a higher court.

The court dropped a separate allegation of making a death threat after ruling that the case was too old to prosecute.

Known for wearing a cowboy hat and displaying his military medals, Ravalomanana was viewed by protesters as a symbol of authoritarian power.