Event Summary
Malian journalist Youssouf Sissoko, editor-in-chief of the newspaper “L’Alternance”, was sentenced on 23 March 2026 by a specialised court (the National Cybercrime Unit) to two years’ imprisonment and a fine of one million CFA francs. This decision follows the publication of a critical article targeting Niger’s transitional president, General Abdourahamane Tiani. The judicial authorities considered that the content of this article was defamatory towards a foreign head of state, contained information deemed inaccurate and was likely to damage the reputation of the Malian state.
Charged with insulting a foreign head of state, spreading fake news and undermining the state’s reputation, the journalist was arrested and remanded in custody on 5 February 2026. His trial comes at a time when the authorities are exercising increased vigilance over media and digital content.
The conviction has sparked reactions among media professional organisations, including the Association of Private Press Publishers (ASSEP) and Mali’s Maison de la Presse, who condemned the harsh sentence and described it as an attack on press freedom, whilst calling for leniency. The journalist’s defence team has legal remedies available to them, including the option to appeal against this decision.