Nairobi, Dakar, Paris, 14 August 2024. The Malian military authorities, in power thanks to the coups of the 18 August 2020 and to the one of the 24 May 2021, have continued to drastically restrict the civic and democratic space in the country. The last four years have seen a resurgence of arrests, arbitrary detentions, abductions, secret detentions and also of judicial harassment of
anyone who expresses a dissenting opinion. FIDH calls on the Malian authorities to immediately release all those arbitrarily detained, to establish respect for fundamental freedoms, in particular the rights to freedom of expression,
opinion, association, assembly and the press, and to restore political and civic space in Mali.
"Today in Mali, we are not talking about a shift in the transition but about an official desire on the part of the military regime to remain in power", said Me Drissa Traoré, Secretary General of the FIDH. "Instead of honouring their commitment to organise elections and hand over the power to a civilian government, the military remains in power by implementing a regime of increasing the repression that systematically leads to serious violations of the fundamental freedoms, which are protected by the Malian Constitution and by regional and international legal instruments ratified by Mali. The Malian authorities must quickly implement the conditions for an effective and inclusive dialogue with political parties and the civil society, in order to set a new electoral timetable", he added.
The repression of the opponents prevents any political pluralism
Following the ban on political parties announced on 10 April 2024, 11 members of the Platform of the Common Declaration of 31 March, the main coalition of the opposition to the military regime, were arrested by police on 20 June 2024 at the home of one of them in Bamako, the capital of Mali. The lawyer Mohamed Ali Bathily, who was arrested, was released on the 21 June. After a legal period of police custody, the other ten detainees were charged with "opposition to the exercise of legitimate authority" and "undermining public order" and held in various detention centres in Bamako, Koulikoro, Kéniéroba and Dioila.
Although the suspension of political party activities was lifted on 10 July 2024, three months after its adoption, arrests of political opponents continued. On 12 July 2024, Youssouf Daba Diawara, coordinator of the "Synergie d’action pour le Mali", a coalition of civil society organisations and political groups formed on 17 February 2024, and former coordinator of the Coordination des Mouvements, Amis et Sympathisants de l’Imam Mahmoud Dicko (CMAS), an association dissolved by the transitional authorities in March 2024, was arrested by gendarmes from the judicial investigation brigade. On 15 July, he was charged with "opposition to the legitimate authority" for taking part in the spontaneous demonstration against the high cost of living and the lack of electricity that took place on 7 June in front of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Bamako.
His trial is scheduled for 3 October 2024.
"The arrests of opponents once again confirm the authorities’ determination to stifle any dissenting voice and impose an authoritarian regime in Mali. In this context, the lifting of the suspension of the activities of political parties, while important, is not enough to ease the political climate and restore respect for human rights, given the continued arbitrary detention of 12 political opponents", said Jean Claude Katendé, FIDH Vice-President. "The authorities must immediately release the political figures still being arbitrarily detained and guarantee respect for freedom of expression, opinion, assembly and association", he added.
Systematic repression of the opposition and attacks on journalists and press freedom
The four years of military rule have also been marked by acts of pressure, threats and intimidation, kidnappings and arbitrary arrests and detentions of Malian journalists and opinion leaders. Judicial harassment of human rights defenders, activists and journalists has become a tool of repression for the regime, which is multiplying the number of cases brought against them. While several international media outlets have had their accreditation withdrawn and are permanently suspended, national media outlets are finding it difficult to continue their work, fearing restrictive measures in retaliation for publishing content deemed dissenting.
In the second half of 2002, Malick Konaté, a photojournalist for various media and director of the online news channel Horon TV, was the victim of intimidation and harassment and forced into exile after speaking out publicly about the state of the country since the military junta took power, denouncing corruption and serious human rights violations in Mali.
On 13 March 2023, radio commentator Mohamed Youssouf Bathily, better known by his pen name Ras Bath, was charged and imprisoned for denouncing the "assassination" of former Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga. Although acquitted at his trial in July 2023, he was sentenced on appeal on 11 March 2024 to 18 months’ imprisonment, nine of which were suspended, for "criminal conspiracy, undermining the credit of the State" and "religious and racist crimes". The public prosecutor appealed the verdict and Ras Bath has remained in prison for more than 17 months.
On 8 June 2024, journalist and blogger Oumarou Yeri Bocoum was abductedfrom his home in Kati, north-west of Bamako, by unidentified persons and taken to an unknown destination. He was abducted after covering a demonstration on 7 June in front of the Malian Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Bamako to protest against the high cost of living and the lack of electricity. He was one of the few journalists to cover the event. He was released on 27 June 2024 without any investigation by the judicial authorities.
Harassment and repression of human rights defenders
In January 2023, Aminata Dicko, a human rights defender and president of the Observatoire Kisal Mali, was forced into exile after denouncing abuses committed by the Malian armed forces before the United Nations Security Council. Following her public statement, the national gendarmerie summoned her for questioning on charges of "treason" and "defamation".
On 13 March 2023, Sidibé Rokia Doumbia, known as Rose la vie chère, an activist against the high cost of living in Mali, was arrested by the police before being remanded in custody on 15 March for "inciting rebellion", "disturbing public order through the use of information and communication technologies" and "insulting and insulting the Head of State". Although she was acquitted of these charges, she remains in custody on new charges including "criminal conspiracy" and "damaging the credit of the state".
In December 2023, Hamadoune Dicko, a doctor, human rights defender, former president of Jeunesse Pulaaku Mali and current president of Jeunesse Pulaaku International, was abducted in Bamako by unidentified persons and held incommunicado for two months and 27 days in a room belonging to a colonel of the National Agency for State Security.
In addition, since 2023, the Malian authorities have also been dissolving associations and political parties, in flagrant violation of the Malian Constitution and the regional and international human rights instruments to which Mali is a party. In March 2024, the Malian authorities dissolved five associations, including the Observatory of Elections and Good Governance, the Association of Malian Students and the Karoual Association, on spurious grounds.
"The attacks on defenders, journalists and all voices deemed critical constitute serious and unacceptable violations of the relevant provisions of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The Malian authorities must therefore restore the rule of law by guaranteeing and protecting in all circumstances the rights to freedom of expression, opinion, assembly, association and the press as enshrined in national law and in regional and international human rights instruments, in particular the African Charter on Human and Peoples‘ Rights", said Mabassa Fall, FIDH Representative to the African Union
A government suspected of manipulating the electoral process
Although the transition timetable called for presidential and legislative elections to be held before the end of February 2022, they have still not been held, in violation of the transition charter adopted at the end of the national consultation in September 2020. In view of the delay in implementing the electoral timetable, ECOWAS imposed targeted sanctions on the Prime Minister, members of the government and the 121 members of the National Transitional Council in November 2021, before imposing additional sanctions, including an economic and financial
embargo, on 9 January 2022. These sanctions were lifted in July 2022.
Presidential elections scheduled for 27 February 2024, which would have allowed a return to civilian rule, were again postponed. On 25 September 2023, the Malian military authorities announced "a slight postponement for technical reasons". These constant postponements led to a de facto prolongation of the political transition without a new timetable being communicated, leaving the Malian population in a state of uncertainty.
In April and May 2024, the Malian military authorities organised the Inter-Malian Dialogue, national consultations aimed at proposing solutions to the political and security crisis in Mali. The dialogue produced 300 recommendations, including calls to "extend the transition period from two to five years" and to "promote the candidacy of Colonel Assimi Goïta in the next presidential elections". These recommendations were ostensibly favourable to the current government. owever, while there has been no official communication detailing the timetable for the transition, there are signs of preparations for elections. On 8 August, the Minister of Security and Protection urged the population to collect their ECOWAS national biometric cards.In April and May 2024, the Malian military authorities organised the Inter-Malian Dialogue, national consultations aimed at proposing solutions to the political and security crisis in Mali. The dialogue produced 300 recommendations, including calls to "extend the transition period from two to five years" and to "promote the candidacy of Colonel Assimi Goïta in the next presidential elections". These recommendations were ostensibly favourable to the current government. However, while there has been no official communication detailing the timetable for the transition, there are signs of preparations for elections. On 8 August 2024, the Minister of Security and Protection urged the population to collect their ECOWAS national biometric cards.