APA – Bamako (Mali) – The arrest of Imam Bandjougou Traoré comes less than a month after the arrest of Shiite religious leader Chouala Bayaya Haïdara.
Imam Bandjougou Traoré, who was arrested by the Judicial Investigation Brigade on Thursday, January 4, was remanded in custody after being presented to the prosecutor of the Malian cybercrime unit.
Pending the hearing of his case, scheduled for March 7, he is now the new resident of Bamako’s central prison. He is accused of “incitement to violence” and “making statements that disturb public order.”
His arrest follows a recent sermon in which he criticized a festival recently held in the Kayes region, saying that “the money could be used to repair the road instead of being wasted.” Imam Bandjougou Traoré recently made headlines for another sermon in which he criticized the energy crisis currently raging in Mali, which has not spared the capital, Bamako, which has been experiencing endless power cuts for some time.
His appearance before the cybercrime prosecutor coincided with that of an artist named Adja Soumano, who also made a video calling on “the authorities to listen to the concerns of Malians.” However, she was allowed to return home after her hearing.
Imam Traoré’s arrest comes less than a month after that of another religious leader, Chouala Bayaya Haïdara. Charged with “undermining the credit of the state and disturbing public order,” his trial is scheduled for March 12. Sources have also indicated that Imam Mahmoud Dicko, who has been declared hostile to the authorities, especially after his meeting with the Algerian president, will also find it difficult to avoid arrest upon his return from Algiers.
These events are reminiscent of the arrests of polemicist Ras Bath and one of the authorities’ staunchest supporters, Adama Diarra, alias “Ben le Cerveau.” All were arrested for comments they made about the country’s leadership.
The United Nations independent expert on human rights, Alioune Tine, has expressed concern about what he calls the “shrinking of civil and political space” in Mali.
MD/ac/lb/abj/APA