On August 3, 2026, Mali’s National Cybercrime Unit, a specialised judicial structure, in Bamako sentenced journalist Chahana Takiou to twelve months in prison for criticising the judiciary’s use of cybercrime laws against journalists.
The sentence was handed down one week after his July 27 trial, at which the prosecutor sought a one-year sentence for Takiou, including six months suspended. The defence pleaded for acquittal, arguing that the charges against the journalist lacked sufficient evidence.
The court adjourned the case to August 3, 2026, when Takiou was sentenced to twelve months in prison, with six months to be served and six months suspended.
Chahana Takiou, editor-in-chief of the biweekly newspaper Le 22 Septembre, has been detained since June 9, 2026, for “undermining the credibility of the state through the judicial system.” He was charged under Mali’s cybercrime legislation for speaking against the state’s increasing use of cybercrime laws against journalists. Takiou made the comments during a panel discussion at the Pan-African Media Forum held in Bamako on June 3-6, 2026
On July 6, the court rejected a request from his lawyers for his provisional release on health grounds, stating that he suffers from diabetes and cardiovascular conditions. However, the request was denied.
Takiou’s sentence is one of a series of similar cases comes barely a week after journalist, Youssouf Sissoko, editor-in-chief of the newspaper L’Alternance. On March 23, 2026, Sissoko was sentenced by the National Cybercrime Court to two years in prison and ordered to pay 1 million CFA francs (about US$1,600) in damages.
His arrest followed his newspaper’s publication of an article written by a journalist in exile, who included in his article, comments he attributed to Niger’s President, General Abdourahamane Tiani after an attack on Niamey Airport in January 2026.
Meanwhile, Abdramane Keita, Editor-in-Chief of Le Témoin, was detained on June 9, 2026, over comments made on Renouveau TVabout the security situation in Kidal. He was charged with disseminating false information and undermining national unity and the credibility of the state. He was remanded in custody pending his trial scheduled for August 17, 2026.
The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) condemns Chahana Takiou’s imprisonment and calls on the Malian authorities to overturn this conviction and release him unconditionally. We also reiterate our calls to the authorities to release Abdramane Keïta and Youssouf Sissoko.
