Ravalomanana provides pardons to opponents

Madagascar President Marc Ravalomanana on Wednesday offered pardons to prisoners convicted of lesser offences during a six-month power struggle on the Indian Ocean island, and said he would consider amnesty appeals of some of his more senior opponents. Ravalomanana, who forced his long serving predecessor from power in July 2002 on the back of popular protest, said those sentenced to less than three-years imprisonment for their part in the turmoil surrounding Madagascar's disputed election results would get a total pardon. "This, however, does not apply to those who committed major offences affecting human lives, people's property, public funds and other crimes that we cannot tolerate," Ravalomanana said in his New Year's broadcast. Ravalomanana added, however, that he was "ready to examine the requests for amnesty" filed by those not covered by the pardon. He said that among those set to benefit was former prime minister Tantely Andrianarivo, who would be allowed to travel abroad for medical treatment. Andrianarivo was sentenced on 24 December to 12-years hard labour and fined US $7 million for embezzlement in a trial criticised by Amnesty International for its alleged lack of fairness, and the government's failure to provide medical attention to the former premier. Reuters reported lawyers as calculating the presidential pardon could free at least 300 of some 500 opponents convicted of offences during the protracted power struggle, which left dozens dead. Meanwhile, former president Didier Ratsiraka's daughter Sophie, exiled in France with her father, was sentenced in absentia to five years in jail on Tuesday for blowing up a bridge during the crisis. Ratsiraka supporters tried to blockade the capital Antananarivo when Ravalomanana declared himself president.