The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) denounces the conviction of journalist Alfousseini Togo, editor of Le Canard de la Venise, who has been handed an eight-month suspended prison sentence and fined 500,000 CFA francs (about USD 881) by Mali’s National Cybercrime Unit (Pôle national de Lutte contre la Cybercriminalité).
Togo was arrested on 9 April 2025 and detained until 12 May, when he was provisionally released after meeting the bail condition of 500,000 CFA francs. He was prosecuted for “undermining the state’s reputation,” “insults via a computer system,” and “defamation” following the publication of an article that questioned statistics released by the Minister of Justice, Mamoudou Kassogué, concerning the public’s trust in the Malian judicial system. Togo criticised the poll’s methodology, arguing that a sample of 2,055 respondents could not accurately represent the views of Mali’s 23 million citizens.
The MFWA considers the verdict as an assault on press freedom in Mali and a chilling message to all journalists who dare to question official narratives. The MFWA, therefore, calls on the Malian authorities to immediately reverse this unjust decision and to guarantee the right of journalists to work freely and without intimidation.
The MFWA also urges the Malian government to uphold its national and international obligations to protect press freedom and ensure that no journalist is punished for carrying out their professional duties in the public interest.
