In Mali, the continued detention of three political activists has sparked outrage among human rights advocates, following revelations that their supposed confessions—used to justify their imprisonment—may have been obtained under torture.
Moulaye Baba Haïdara, Mahamoud Mohamed Mangane and Amadou Togola, associated with the Movement for Peace in Mali (MPPM) and the opposition party SADI, have been held for nearly two years.
Despite previous rulings by both a national judge and the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights ordering their release, authorities have refused to act, raising concerns about the erosion of judicial independence and due process.
Supporters of the detainees argue that the accusations of conspiracy and state security offences are based on fabrications. They claim the Court of Appeal’s decision to deny provisional release, delivered two months after the ruling was issued, hinges on false statements and imaginary meetings that never occurred. Several discrepancies in the court documents, including the mention of a woman wrongly identified as a defendant, have cast further doubt on the credibility of the case. The defence maintains that if the men confessed at all, it was only under extreme duress—following months of secret detention, during which they were reportedly tortured through methods such as electrocution, flogging, and mutilation.
Despite calls from the United Nations for their immediate and unconditional release on humanitarian and legal grounds, Malian authorities have remained silent. The refusal to honour international and domestic rulings has drawn criticism from human rights organisations and is seen as part of a broader crackdown on dissent in the country. The case underscores the deepening crisis in Mali’s legal system and highlights the peril faced by opposition voices under a transitional government increasingly accused of authoritarianism. For now, the three activists remain behind bars, their health deteriorating, and their fate uncertain.