Arbitrary Detention & Unfair Trials in Madagascar: UN & NGO Reports

Human rights organizations, including the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (2019), have documented systemic issues in Madagascar:

• Routine violations of fair trial rights: presumption of innocence, legal counsel, impartial tribunal.
• Widespread arbitrary detention targeting political opponents, activists, and vulnerable groups.
• As of 2019, ~11,000 detainees, ~50% not convicted.
• High-profile case: Former President Marc Ravalomanana sentenced to life in 2018 in a trial widely seen as politically motivated.

The government denies wrongdoing, but international pressure continues for judicial reform and human rights improvements.