The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights has thrown out two separate petitions filed against the Malian government, dismissing one on the merits and throwing out the second on procedural grounds.
The judicial panel rejected a suit brought by Malian citizen Ibrahim Touré, who had contested his automatic enrollment in the country’s compulsory health insurance scheme (AMO) and demanded a refund of salary deductions dating back to 2009. Touré argued that the non-consensual deductions infringed on his rights to dignity, equality, and non-discrimination. However, the court dismissed his claims and requests for compensation, determining that the insurance program functions on collective risk-pooling to uphold public healthcare rights and that the payroll contributions had not deprived him of meeting essential living needs.
In a separate decision delivered on the same day, the court declared an application by Souleymane Camara inadmissible due to procedural shortcomings. Camara had attempted to challenge a criminal ruling from Mali’s Court of Assizes but failed to present documentary proof, such as an official notice of appeal, showing that he had exhausted all available domestic legal remedies. While the judges rejected Mali’s preliminary objection regarding the applicant’s personal standing, the lack of evidence proving full exhaustion of national courts prevented the international tribunal from assessing the merits of his claims.
MD/te/Sf/lb/abj/APA