Malian journalist Chahana Takiou, editor of the bi-weekly Le 22 Septembre and president of the country’s press employers’ association, has been sentenced to 12 months in prison, including six months of mandatory imprisonment, by Mali’s National Cybercrime Unit after being convicted of undermining the credibility of the state through the judicial system. Prosecutors had sought the sentence during a hearing on July 27, while the defense argued for his acquittal, maintaining that the charges were not sufficiently substantiated. Takiou has been in detention at Bamako Central Prison since June 8.
The case stems from remarks he made during the Pan-African Media Forum held in Bamako from June 3 to 6, where he criticized the use of cybercrime legislation to prosecute journalists and argued that media professionals should instead be tried under press laws. After excerpts of his speech circulated on social media, he was summoned and later detained by the National Cybercrime Unit. His request for provisional release to seek medical treatment in Morocco following a 2023 operation was rejected. The conviction comes amid growing concern from press freedom organizations, which argue that his comments were part of legitimate public debate and have called for the charges against him to be dropped.
