Malian Singer Rokia Traoré to Be Released from Belgian Prison Amid Custody Dispute

Malian singer and internationally acclaimed artist Rokia Traoré is set to be released from a Belgian prison on Wednesday, according to the local news agency Belga, citing her legal representatives. However, Reuters has not yet been able to confirm this with Traoré’s team or local authorities.

Traoré, 50, known as one of Africa’s most prominent vocalists, served as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations’ refugee agency (UNHCR) from 2016 to 2018. Her legal troubles began with a custody battle over her daughter with her former Belgian partner, Jan Goossens.

She was first arrested in France in 2020 on a Belgian warrant after failing to comply with a court order related to the custody dispute. Though she was conditionally released, she later fled to Mali via a private flight, defying orders to remain in France until her extradition case was finalized. Her daughter currently resides in Mali.

In October 2023, a Belgian court sentenced Traoré in absentia to two years in prison over the custody battle. Italian authorities subsequently arrested her in Rome in 2024 and handed her over to Belgium after Italy’s highest court dismissed her appeal.

 

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