Chad's President Mahamat Idriss Déby issued a pardon on August 14 for opposition leader and former prime minister Succès Masra along with eight other political figures. Masra, who had been sentenced to 20 years in prison and fined 1 billion CFA francs for inciting violence and complicity in murder, will receive full remission of his prison term though civil penalties remain. The decree follows more than a year of imprisonment and has drawn criticism from human rights groups regarding the original trial.