25 August 2025, GENEVA – 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.
*The experts:
- Eduardo Gonzalez, Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Mali
- Margaret Satterthwaite, Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers
- Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression
- Mary Lawlor, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders
- Ganna Yudkivska (Chair-Rapporteur), Matthew Gillett (Vice-Chair on Communications), Miriam Estrada Castillo (Vice-Chair on Follow-Up), Mumba Malila, and Ethan Hee-Seok Shin, Working Group on Arbitrary Detention
The Special Rapporteurs, Independent Experts and Working Groups are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.
UN Human Rights, country page – https://www.ohchr.org/en/countries/mali
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