Singer Rokia Traore faces extradition to Belgium over unfinished prison sentence
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- 14 Oct 2024
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Rokia Traoré, a celebrated Malian singer-songwriter, is set to be extradited from Italy to Belgium to serve the remainder of a two-year prison sentence tied to an ongoing custody dispute. The news was confirmed on Thursday by her lawyer, Maddalena Claudia Del Re, following a court ruling in Rome that upheld the extradition order.
The legal troubles for Traoré began when a Belgian court convicted her in absentia for kidnapping her parents as part of the contentious custody battle. She was first arrested in Paris in March 2020 under a European arrest warrant after the Belgian court ordered her to return her daughter to the child’s father. However, she defied a travel ban and fled to Mali before she could be extradited to Belgium at the time.
In June 2024, Italian authorities detained Traoré, and she subsequently challenged her extradition. Despite her appeal, the Rome court ruled that she must be transferred to Belgium within 10 days.
The ongoing dispute revolves around the custody of Traoré’s daughter, who currently resides in Mali. According to the father’s lawyer, the child’s father has had no contact with her since she turned four. In an attempt to resolve the situation, the father has reportedly offered to negotiate a new custody arrangement that would be ratified by courts in both Mali and Belgium, aiming to secure the child’s future with the involvement of both parents.
This legal ordeal has cast a shadow over Traoré’s illustrious career, known for blending traditional Malian sounds with contemporary influences and advocating for human rights and African cultural heritage.
