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Reporters Without Borders Annual Report 2002 - Mali

Mali is probably one of the countries with the most press freedom in West Africa. Over 100 private-sector radio stations and about fifty newspapers share a fragile market in which advertisers are rare and readership limited.

Sidiki Konaté, managing director of the Mali broadcasting company, ORTM, was sentenced on 16 May 2001 to one months' imprisonment in a case in which the independent union of the magistracy had sued the mayor of Bamako, Ibrahima N'Diaye, and ORTM. During a television programme on 26 March Ibrahima N'Diaye reportedly said that Mali's magistrates were corrupt. In accordance with the press law, sanctions were taken against ORTM for broadcasting the mayor's statement. ORTM and the Bamako mayor were also fined one million and three million CFA francs (1,524 and 4,573 euros), respectively. Malian press unions protested against the "arbitrary nature" of this judgement. Sikiki Konaté was not arrested and the magistracy union subsequently withdrew its complaint.

Abdoulaye Ladji Guindo, managing editor of the weekly Liberté, was detained for a few hours on 25 July. "I was abducted by three men, two of whom were sons of the owner of Djigué-SA", said the journalist after his release. A few days before that Liberté had published an article denouncing "fraudulent imports of sugar" by the company Djigué-SA.

Topics: Freedom of information, Freedom of expression,