Mali junta using cybercrime laws to silence journalists, IPI warns

Mali's military authorities are weaponizing cybercrime laws to silence journalists and stifle dissent, the International Press Institute (IPI) warned Thursday. The watchdog group highlighted the imprisonment and prosecution of several Malian reporters for their critical reporting and public comments.

Nompilo Simanje, IPI Africa Programme Lead, stated that this trend is intensifying across Africa, citing Mali, Zambia, and Nigeria as examples. "The escalating weaponisation of cybercrime provisions to target journalists is a deeply alarming trend," Simanje said in a statement on the IPI website. She emphasized the urgent need for countries to repeal or revise cybercrime legislation to ensure it aligns with regional and international freedom of expression standards.

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The escalating weaponisation of cybercrime provisions to target journalists is a deeply alarming trend that continues to intensify across Africa, including in Mali, Zambia and Nigeria, among others.

The IPI pointed to specific cases in Mali. Journalist and editor Chahana Takiou received a 12-month suspended sentence and a fine for allegedly undermining state credibility. Abdrahamane Keita of Le Témoin was detained and charged with undermining national unity and spreading false information after commenting on the security situation. Radio and television commentator Mohamed Youssouf Bathily, known as Ras Bath, faces charges including criminal association and undermining state credibility through information technology, following his arrest in March 2023 over comments about the death of a former Prime Minister.

These cases illustrate a broader pattern of using criminal and cybercrime-related laws to target critical voices in Mali, the IPI reported. The institute described Bathily's prolonged detention and multiple prosecutions as a prime example of this tactic.

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This trend shows the urgent need to repeal these provisions and ensure that cybercrime legislation is aligned with regional and international standards on freedom of expression.