UN experts* today called for the immediate and unconditional release of Malian civil society activist Clément Mamadou Dembélé who has remained in detention despite being cleared of all charges by a judge.
“We urge the Malian authorities to comply with the order issued on 17 April 2025, by the investigating judge of the first chamber of the Pôle national de lutte contre la cybercriminalité, who ruled that the charges against the defendant were insufficiently substantiated and ordered that the case be dismissed,” the experts said.
“This case reflects the persistent and escalating pattern of human rights violations against members of opposition political parties, civil society organisations, journalists and human rights defenders in Mali,” they said, recalling that several mandate holders had expressed similar concerns in 2021, 2024 as well as in February and April 2025.
Malian academic and anti-corruption leader Clément Mamadou Dembélé has been jailed since November 2023, despite a court order to drop all charges. Dembélé is the president of Plateforme contre la corruption et le chômage au Mali (PCC) and the Front commun pour le Mali. Arrested in Bamako while preparing a press conference after denouncing nationwide power cuts, he was accused of making death threats against the transitional president and his family in a voice message attributed to him. On 17 April 2025, a judge dismissed the case for lack of evidence, yet Dembélé remains in Bamako Central prison amid mounting concerns for his health.
“This case appears to be politically motivated, as Mr. Dembélé is not being released despite a court order dismissing the case against him for lack of evidence,” the experts said. “His prosecution and continued detention could amount to instrumentalisation of the legal system by the Government .”
The experts have also conveyed their concerns directly to the Government of Mali and are awaiting a reply.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of United Nations: Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).