On April 9, 2025, Alfousseini Togo, publishing director of the privately owned weekly newspaper Le Canard de la Venise, was arrested and charged by Mali’s cybercrime unit with undermining the credibility of the judiciary, disturbing public order, and defamation for his April 8 article criticizing the justice system.
The journalist faced up to six months in prison under Articles 37 and 38 of the Press Code, which relate to false news, disturbing public order, and defamation, and up to two years under Article 242-74 of the Criminal Code, which relates to undermining the state’s reputation.
Togo was imprisoned in the capital, Bamako, awaiting trial, Chiaka Doumbia, president of the Network of Malian Investigative Journalists, told CPJ.
Togo’s April 8 report questioned the credibility of a poll quoted by justice minister Mahamadou Kassogué that said public confidence in Mali’s justice index increased from 30% to 72% in 2024. Togo also said the poll ranked the justice sector as the “second most corrupt after the police,” and the “current transitional regime is taking advantage of the ‘weakness’ of the justice system to order arrests, intimidation, kidnappings and even extrajudicial detentions, in violation of the law.”
CPJ’s calls in April 2025 to request comment from the Ministry of Justice went unanswered.
On May 12, Togo was provisionally released, he told CPJ. On July 17, Togo appeared in court and the prosecutor requested a fine and suspended sentence.
On July 28, Togo was given an eight-month suspended sentence and fined 500,000 CFA francs (US$892). He told CPJ that he did not appeal.