Malian journalist Chahana Takiou was sentenced on Monday to a 12-month prison term, six months of which are to be served behind bars, by the National Cybercrime Unit following comments criticizing the judicial treatment of media professionals.
The court upheld the prosecution’s recommendations, which had requested that exact sentence during the July 27 hearing. The defense team, arguing for a full acquittal, maintained that the charges lacked sufficient legal grounding.
Takiou, editor-in-chief of the biweekly newspaper Le 22 Septembre and president of the Press Owners Association, was prosecuted for “undermining the credibility of the state through the judiciary.”
He has been held at Bamako’s Central Remand Prison since June 8.
The case stems from remarks the journalist made during the Pan-African Media Forum, held in Bamako from June 3 to 6. During his intervention, he denounced the use of cybercrime laws against journalists, arguing that media professionals should be tried under existing press laws instead.
Footage of his speech, which went viral on social media, prompted his summons by the National Cybercrime Unit and his subsequent remand in custody.
His legal team had requested provisional release to allow him to undergo medical follow-up care in Morocco following surgery performed in 2023, but the court denied the petition on July 6.
This sentencing comes amidst mounting friction between the Malian authorities and several press groups over the application of the 2019 cybercrime legislation.
Press freedom advocacy groups had previously called for all charges to be dropped, contending that the journalist’s statements constituted legitimate public debate.
MD/te/lb/as/APA