In October last year, Traore was sentenced in absentia by a court in Belgium to two years in prison on the charge of kidnapping the parents for “failing to hand over the child to a person who has the right of custody”.
In June, Traore was arrested in Fiumicino Airport in Rome when she flew to the concert because of an outstanding child custody conviction for which a European arrest warrant had been issued. Two months later, a court in the Italian capital approved her extradition.
The singer’s appeal was rejected last week, paving the way for extradition. Traore has been in prison since his arrest, Reuters reports.
Her daughter, now nine, has lived in Mali since she was four.
A lawyer for the child’s father, Traore’s ex-partner Jan Goossens, reportedly said he has not had contact with his daughter since then.
When she was initially arrested in 2020, she was traveling from Mali to Brussels, intending to appeal the custody decision, her lawyers said.
The Malian government has previously come out in support of the singer, saying she has a diplomatic passport.
Traore’s lawyer, Vincent Lurquin, reportedly told AFP that the singer plans to appeal the two-year prison sentence, which would lead to a new trial.
He also said that both Traore and Goossens hoped to “find an agreement in the best interests of the child” to avoid further prison terms.
AFP reported that public prosecutors in Belgium confirmed that Traore would remain in custody pending the new trial.
Traore is one of Africa’s most famous vocalists. She has won several awards, including the BBC World Music Award in 2004 and Best World Music Album of the Year in 2009 at the Victoires de la Musique, the French equivalent of the Grammys.
She is also known for her advocacy work for refugees, becoming a Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in 2015 in West and Central Africa.
