Mali Court Sentences Junta Critics To Seven Years In Prison

A court in Mali has sentenced prominent broadcaster Mohamed Youssouf Bathily, popularly known as Ras Bath, and social media influencer Rokia Doumbia to seven years in prison for criticising the country’s military junta.

The pair were convicted on Monday by the Bamako Court of Appeal’s criminal chamber of criminal conspiracy and discrediting the state, according to an AFP journalist who witnessed the proceedings.

They were also handed three-year suspended sentences in addition to the seven-year prison terms.

Bathily and Doumbia had been in custody since March 2023 following the broadcast of a programme focused on the economic difficulties confronting ordinary Malians.

The broadcaster’s gaunt appearance after several years in detention reportedly shocked many Malians when he appeared in court during the trial, which opened on August 10.

Two lawyers, speaking anonymously, told AFP that the prosecutor had described Ras Bath as a threat to the military government.

“Ras Bath is a danger” to the junta and “must be kept a long way from social media and the radio”, the lawyers quoted the prosecutor as telling the court.

Prosecutors alleged that Bathily and Doumbia were acting “in association”, pointing to two occasions when the broadcaster had invited Doumbia, who is known online as “Rose, the cost of living”, onto his programme.

Their lawyers rejected the allegations.

Bathily’s father, former government minister Mohamed Aly Bathily, who is also part of his son’s defence team, said the family had yet to decide whether to appeal the verdict.

Ras Bath, who has built a substantial following among young Malians through his outspoken commentary on social and political issues, has had several previous encounters with the authorities.

He was first arrested in August 2016 on allegations of inciting soldiers to disobey orders, but was released two days later following pressure from supporters.

In July 2017, he was sentenced in absentia to 12 months in prison while abroad, although he did not serve the sentence.

The broadcaster also participated in the M5-RFP protest movement in 2020, which opposed then-President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. Keita was later overthrown by the military amid widespread anger over insecurity and governance.

Bathily was arrested again in December 2020 over an alleged plot against the junta. The case was later dismissed for lack of evidence and he regained his freedom in April 2021.

In July 2023, he was acquitted of separate allegations that he falsely claimed former Prime Minister Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga had been assassinated while in detention.

The latest convictions come amid growing restrictions on political and media freedoms under Mali’s military government, which seized power following coups in 2020 and 2021.

The junta, led by General Assimi Goita, has yet to fulfil its earlier pledge to return the country to civilian rule.

Mali has also been battling a prolonged security crisis since 2012, involving jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and Islamic State, criminal gangs and armed separatists.

The country ranked 121st out of 180 countries in the 2026 World Press Freedom Index cited in the report.