In Mali, the arrests of religious leaders in recent days are worrying. After the arrest and incarceration of the preacher Chouala Bayaya Haidara last month, following critical comments, it was another imam, Bandiougou Traoré who was arrested Thursday January 4 and placed under arrest warrant.
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In a sermon, imam Bandiougou Traoré recently denounced “ big means » used for the organization of a festival in the town of Kayes « as the condition of roads in the region deteriorates every day “. This is what the local press reports.
These arrests of critical voices are a sign of the end of freedom of expression in Mali, believes this civil society activist: “ Mali, today, is a Republic where we are afraid to express ourselves, where we are afraid to take positions, whether political, economic or religious. The average citizen is not really safe when it comes to expressing what is truly in their heart. In a Republic where we are afraid to express ourselves, where we are afraid to talk about the management of state affairs, where everyone is pointing the finger at human rights issues, social crises, economic crises , there are quite a few people, quite a few citizens who have been arrested. We can say that freedom of expression today in Mali is not really a reality because people are afraid to speak. If we are afraid to speak, we cannot talk about freedom of expression. »
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