Malian Singer Rokia Traore to be Released from Belgian Custody

Malian singer Rokia Traore was arrested in Rome due to a child custody dispute and transferred to Belgium. She is set to be released from prison. Traore was sentenced in absentia in Belgium for custody issues regarding her daughter, which began with her arrest in France in 2020.

Malian vocalist Rokia Traore, who faced intense legal battles over a child custody dispute, is slated for release from a Belgian prison this Wednesday, according to reports from local news source Belga citing her lawyers. A confirmation from Traore's representatives or authorities was not immediately available to Reuters.

Traore, aged 50, is renowned globally for her musical talent and served as a goodwill ambassador for the UN refugee agency from 2016 to 2018. She was transferred from Italy to Belgium following a rejected appeal by Italy's highest court last November.

In October 2023, Traore was sentenced to two years imprisonment in Belgium related to her custody battle over her daughter. She was initially detained in France in 2020, following a Belgian warrant after allegedly disregarding a court ruling linked to the dispute with her former Belgian partner, Jan Goossens. Despite initial conditional release, she travelled to Mali, contravening stipulated French orders.

(With inputs from agencies.)