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The International Press Institute (IPI) has expressed concerns over the growing use of cybercrime legislation by Mali’s military authorities to target journalists and suppress critical reporting.
The warning followed the imprisonment and prosecution of several Malian journalists over their reports, public comments and criticism of the authorities.
IPI Africa Programme Lead, Nompilo Simanje, said in a statement published on Thursday that the development reflected a broader trend across Africa, where cybercrime provisions were increasingly being used to restrict journalists and freedom of expression.
“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,” Simanje said.
She called for countries to review cybercrime laws that could undermine freedom of expression and urged authorities to ensure that such legislation complied with regional and international standards.
Journalist sentenced to one year
The warning follows a series of cases involving journalists in Mali.
The IPI said Malian journalist and editor of 22 Septembre, Chahana Takiou, was sentenced on August 3 to 12 months in prison, with six months suspended, after being convicted of undermining the credibility of the state through the judicial system.
Takiou was arrested in June after criticising the authorities’ use of cybercrime provisions against journalists during the Pan-African Media Forum in Bamako.
The International Federation of Journalists said Takiou had argued that journalists should be prosecuted under press laws rather than cybercrime legislation.
Human Rights Watch described his conviction as the latest escalation in what it called the military junta’s widening restrictions on freedom of expression.
According to HRW, Takiou was prosecuted after publicly criticising the authorities for using the cybercrime law against fellow journalist Youssouf Sissoko.
More journalists face prosecution
The IPI also highlighted the case of Abdrahamane Keita, publishing director of Le Témoin, who was detained on June 9 following comments he made during a live television programme about the security situation in northern Mali.
Keita was charged with undermining national unity and the credibility of the state and disseminating false and misleading information. His trial, initially scheduled for August 17, was postponed to August 31, according to the IPI.
The Committee to Protect Journalists previously reported that Keita was arrested after stating on a television programme that Al-Qaeda-linked JNIM insurgents controlled the northern city of Kidal.
The IPI also drew attention to the case of Malian broadcaster and commentator Mohamed Youssouf Bathily, popularly known as Ras Bath.
His trial began on August 10. He faces charges including criminal association and undermining the credibility of the state through information and communication technologies.
The IPI said Bathily had been in detention since his arrest in March 2023 following comments concerning the death in custody of former Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubèye Maïga.
Cybercrime law under scrutiny
The IPI said Mali amended its Penal Code in December 2024 to incorporate provisions that had previously been contained in the country’s 2019 cybercrime law.
A specialised cybercrime unit, the Pôle national de lutte contre la cybercriminalité, was subsequently tasked with enforcing offences involving digital and telecommunications technologies.
Press freedom organisations have criticised the broad application of the legislation, arguing that journalists can face significantly heavier penalties under cybercrime provisions than they would under Mali’s press laws.
The CPJ said the wording of the cybercrime legislation was vague and had removed protections previously available to journalists under the country’s 2000 press law.
The Media Foundation for West Africa also reported that Takiou’s sentence was part of a series of cases involving journalists prosecuted under Mali’s cybercrime legislation.
IPI calls for release of journalists
Simanje urged the Malian authorities to release journalists imprisoned in connection with their work and end the use of criminal and cybercrime provisions to suppress critical reporting.
“We call on authorities in Mali to release all journalists imprisoned in connection with their work, and to end the misuse of criminal and cybercrime provisions to suppress critical reporting,” she said.
The president of Maison de la Presse, Mali’s umbrella organisation for press defence groups, Dante Bandiangou, similarly called for legislation that protects journalists while recognising the challenges posed by digital technology.
“We want a healthy media environment with legislation that protects journalists in the exercise of their profession,” Bandiangou said, adding that the expansion of digital technology should provide an opportunity rather than become an obstacle to press freedom.
The IPI said the situation in Mali forms part of a wider deterioration in the media environment across the Sahel, particularly in Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, where authorities have increasingly restricted independent reporting amid prolonged security crises.
The concerns have also been echoed by other press freedom organisations. The CPJ, IFJ and Human Rights Watch have separately criticised the prosecution and imprisonment of Malian journalists and called for greater protection of freedom of expression.
