Paris and Geneva, August 26, 2026 – The recent conviction of four Malian human rights defenders, including journalists, to prison sentences ranging up to ten years underscores a growing trend of using the judicial system to repress dissent and narrow civic space in Mali. The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organization Against Torture (OMCT), acting through the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, strongly condemn these rulings. They are calling on Malian authorities to immediately halt the judicial harassment targeting civil society actors.
Convictions and Detention History
On August 17, 2026, following a public hearing held on August 10, the Bamako Court of Appeal sentenced Mohamed Youssouf Bathily, known as “Ras Bath,” and Sidibé Rokia Doumbia, known as “Rose la Vie Chère,” to ten years in prison. Seven of those years are to be served without suspension. The charges included “criminal association” and “undermining the credit of the state and its institutions and leaders via information and communication technologies.” Their lawyers have not filed an appeal with the Supreme Court.
Bathily, a columnist, radio host, and leader of the Collective for the Defense of the Republic (CDR), was initially arrested on March 13, 2023. His detention followed statements claiming that former Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga, who died in custody in March 2022, had been “assassinated.” Although acquitted at first instance in July 2023, he was convicted on appeal in March 2024 to eighteen months in prison, nine months suspended. Despite completing his sentence, he remained detained for several additional months before facing new charges related to criminal association and undermining state credit.
Sidibé Rokia Doumbia, an economic and social rights defender and activist against the high cost of living, was also arrested on March 13, 2023. Her arrest stemmed from a TikTok video denouncing inflation, electricity cuts, and labeling the political transition a “failure.” After an initial conviction in August 2023, she was partially acquitted on appeal in July 2024 but remained detained under a second set of proceedings involving similar charges.
Additional Sentences and Arrests
These cases follow other recent convictions. On August 3, 2026, Adama Ben Diarra, known as “Ben le Cerveau” and leader of the “Yerewolo debout sur les remparts” movement, received a five-year sentence, one year suspended, for threats and insults committed via information systems. Ben Diarra had previously been arrested in September 2023 after criticizing extrajudicial arrests on private radio. He was sentenced to six months in prison in February 2024 for undermining state credit but was rearrested days before his release on cybercrime charges following a complaint by the Collective for the Defense of Military Personnel (CDM).
Also on August 3, journalist Chahana Takiou, publisher of the newspaper 22 Septembre, was sentenced to one year in prison, six months suspended, for undermining the credit of the state through the judicial institution. He was detained in June 2026 after criticizing the use of cybercrime laws against journalists during the Pan-African Media Forum in Bamako.
Furthermore, on August 16, 2026, Boubacar Samaké, known as “Boutros Ghaly” and a member of the CDR, was arrested by cybercrime units and placed under pretrial detention on August 20. His arrest is linked to mobilization organized by CDR members surrounding the trial of Ras Bath.
These five cases reflect a broader pattern of restricting civic space since the May 2021 coup. The Observatory notes that accusations of undermining state credit and the application of cybercrime provisions have become recurrent tools for silencing critics, fostering a climate of fear and self-censorship among journalists and human rights defenders.
This report was produced by the HuMedia newsroom.
