Ex-Senate Chief Convicted in Madagascar Crackdown; Families Find Justice After Deadly Prot

Richard Ravalomanana, former Senate president and close ally of ousted president Andry Rajoelina, was sentenced to ten years of hard labor on September 1, 2026, for his role in suppressing street protests. The conviction marks the first significant judicial accountability in Madagascar following violent demonstrations in September and October 2025 that killed twenty-two people and wounded roughly one hundred others, according to United Nations figures. The 2025 protests were largely youth-led. They generated widespread social media circulation of images depicting security forces dragging an unconscious young man across pavement, mothers and infants choking from tear gas, and students beaten by police. Those scenes shaped public reaction across the island nation in ways that official statements could not undo. Zo Ramanampisoa, an active member of Madagascar's Gen Z, described the verdict as both relief and symbolic weight. "We have waited a long time for justice to be rendered for the violence and barbaric acts committed by security forces during the demonstrations," Ramanampisoa said. "This decision is all the more significant because, unlike other arbitrary detentions under the current regime, the procedure appears to have been respected. Even his lawyer confirmed the judgment's validity." By contrast, the lawyers who worked through those months of unrest see the ruling as a beginning rather than a resolution. Maître Maromanana Aliarivelo, who provided free legal defense to youth arrested during the 2025 events, called the decision evidence that Madagascan justice is beginning to act. "Everyone now knows that Madagascan justice dares to make decisions against former leaders, based on evidence and in respect of defense rights," Aliarivelo observed. Significant gaps remain. Most officers who executed orders have not been located despite video evidence of their actions, Aliarivelo noted. Ousted president Rajoelina fled Madagascar in October 2025 after weeks of social unrest driven by anger over power cuts and water shutdowns. Colonel Michaël Randrianirina, who rallied military support to the movement, assumed power. Rajoelina remains in exile, and no judicial proceedings have been initiated against him. The National Assembly has not voted to impeach him (a necessary step before the High Court of Justice can assume jurisdiction), leaving that path formally closed for now. For mobilized youth and bereaved families, Ravalomanana's conviction represents a first step. Whether Madagascan courts will pursue those who gave the orders, and those who fled the country to avoid answering for them, remains the open question.