Mali Jails Two Journalists for 7 Years
The court also gave both defendants three-year suspended sentences after finding them guilty of criminal conspiracy and discrediting the state.
- On Monday, a Malian court sentenced broadcaster Mohamed Youssouf 'Ras Bath' Bathily and influencer Rokia Doumbia to seven years in prison, plus a three-year suspended term, for criminal conspiracy and discrediting the state.
- Both defendants had been in custody since their 2023 arrest following a program where they criticized the ruling military junta's handling of Mali's social and political problems.
- Prosecutors argued that "Ras Bath is a danger" to the junta and "must be kept a long way from social media and the radio," revealing the government's strategy to neutralize influential voices.
- Defense counsel Mohamed Aly Bathily, the broadcaster's father, stated they have not yet decided whether to appeal the verdict, leaving their legal future and potential for release in limbo.
- Mali currently ranks 121st out of 180 nations in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index according to Reporters Without Borders, reflecting a broader decline in civil liberties and intensified crackdowns on dissent.
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22 Articles
Court of Marrakech imposes 10 months in prison, fine and three years without networks after his arrest in Casablanca for broadcasting videos considered against modesty
In Mali, the famous Malian columnist Mohamed Youssouf Bathily - alias Ras Bath -, a critical voice of the junta in detention for three years, was sentenced on Monday 17 August to 10 years in prison, three of which were suspended, for "attacking the credit of the State" and "association of criminals". The influential Rokia Doumbia, known as "Rose, the expensive life", received the same penalty.
On Monday, the Bamako Court of Appeal sentenced the two activists to ten years in prison. This decision, denounced by their defence as politically motivated, illustrates the tightening of the crackdown on dissenting voices.
Two prominent figures in the Malian opposition – columnist Mohamed Youssouf Bathily and influencer Rokia Doumbia – were sentenced in Bamako to 10 years in prison, three of which were suspended. They were tried in 2023 for "criminal conspiracy" and "undermining the state's reputation" following a broadcast focusing on the population's economic hardships.
Both activists, who have been incarcerated since March 2023, have been found guilty of violating state security by Malian justice. Ras Bath and Rose's expensive life have been sentenced to 10 years in prison, including 3 years in prison.
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