On September 14, 2023, a specialized cybercrime court handed a two-year prison sentence to Malian activist Adama Diarra, with one year of the sentence being unsuspended. Diarra, also known as “Ben le Cerveau” (Ben the Brain), was convicted of “undermining the reputation of the State.” Diarra’s legal team said that they would appeal the decision.
The charges against Diarra stem from his criticism of the transitional government. In a WhatsApp, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) post, the activist had criticized the junta’s management of the State and the serial arrests of opponents by the security services.
He had also called on the military junta to respect the scheduled transition period and hand over power to civilians in March 2024, in accordance with the commitment made to ECOWAS. Following this call, he was taken into custody on September 4, 2023.
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