Mali convicts three newspaper publishing directors under its cybercrime law in 2026, in cases press groups call retaliation for criticism

Between March and September 2026, Mali's national cybercrime court sentenced three newspaper publishing directors under the 2019 cybercrime law. Youssouf Sissoko of L'Alternance was sentenced on March 23, 2026 to two years and a 1 million CFA franc fine over an opinion article critical of Niger's leader Gen.